UP Newsletter November 2011

Wired UP

november 2011

U.P. Newsletter 1

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University of the Philippines Community Newspaper V o l u m e X X xII

N u m b e r 11

Read UP Newsletter online at http://www.up.edu.ph/upnewsletter.php

Arbeen Acuña

Photo by Bong Arboleda

UP constituents challenge new chancellors Various sectors from Los Baños (UPLB), Manila (UPM) and Diliman (UPD) challenged the newly-selected chancellors of UP’s constituent universities last September 29 to institute changes in their respective units.

UP Kilos Na, an alliance of students, faculty, staff and REPS of UP, reminded the new chancellors of the promises they made in their vision papers. The alliance also challenged the new administrators to issue a financial statement at the beginning of their term for the sake of financial transparency and to let the concerned sectors participate in choosing vice-chancellors, directors and other positions that affect their respective constituents.

On the same day, the UP Board of Regents (BOR) approved the appointments of Dr. Manuel Agulto, Dr. Rex Victor Cruz and Dr. Rommel Espinosa as chancellors of UPM, UPLB and UP Visayas (UPV), respectively.

Prior to the appointments, the All-UP Workers Union and the All-UP Academic Employees Union appealed to the BOR not to choose chancellors “whose track records are tainted with undemocratic practices.”

The two unions also called on the BOR to

november 2 0 11

Diliman, Quezon City

2011 UP Scientists named, feted Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo

True models of credibility who have raised the bar for their peers.

This was how UP President Alfredo Pascual described the UP Scientists for 2011.

This year’s batch is composed of 30 members of the academic community who were deemed worthy of the rare distinction bestowed by UP under its Scientific Productivity System (SPS).

The title and its annual monetary incentives of P120,000 for Scientist I, Photo by Jun Madrid

P144,000 for Scientist II and P180,000 for Scientist III are in effect for three years, after which the award may be renewed at the same or higher level, depending on the awardees’ performance.

The SPS awards are given every year.

Twenty-five were named Scientist I while three and two were named Scientist II and Scientist III, respectively.

They were recognized last October 28 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman.

With regard to those named Scientist I, seven are from UP Diliman.

They are Maria Corazon A. de Ungria of the DNA Analysis Laboratory; Prof. Rene P. Felix and Prof.

Agnes T. Paras of the Institute of Mathematics; Prof. Alonzo A. Dr. Leonila F. Dans of UP Manila and Prof. Juan M. Pulhin of UP Los

Baños receive the rank of Scientist III during this year’s Scientific (Continued on page 4) Productivity System Awards.

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UPM went to Quezon Hall with streamers that read “No to Velasco’s Dynasty,” in reference to former UPLB Chancellor Luis Rey Velasco.

Former Staff Regent Clodualdo Cabrera said that they hope the next chancellors would provide not “torturing and disabling” conditions for all sectors in UP as in UPLB, but a “nurturing and enabling” environment as in UP Diliman.

During the program outside Quezon Hall, former regents, students and employees complained how harsh the then UPLB administration had been in dealing with criticism from its constituents.

Former Faculty Regent Judy Taguiwalo shared how she and her fellow regents back then were confronted with notable cases of campus repression in UPLB, where student leaders were persecuted with trumpedup charges. She cited the case of former Student Regent Charisse Bernadine Bañez whose graduation has been withheld.

Pura Beatriz Valle, chairperson of the UPLB University Student Council (UPLB USC), said that some of the controversial issues at UPLB include the suspension and red-baiting of student leaders, noncollection of student funds for the students’ official publication the UPLB Perspective, the large lecture class policy and the recent varsity team abolition.

Valle said Cruz should live up to his mandate as the new UPLB Chancellor and serve his constituents. Cruz should investigate the controversy over the bollards (banga or jars which allegedly cost P3,000 each) scattered all over the campus and the (Continued on page 8)

(Continued on page 3)

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Kule turns 89, holds grand reunion

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Dating Pangulong SP Lopez, inalala ng mga kawani

Photo courtesy of DILC

Photo by Jun Madrid

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KIM Quilinguing

“A n d s o i n r e c o l l e c t i n g / yo u r epiphanies/you elude the void/which is my hunger/the famine of millions/the empty bowl of history.”

These lines are in Ericson Acosta’s poem “And So Your Poetry Must,” published in the 1995 Literary Folio of the Philippine Collegian. When Acosta wrote the poem, he may not have foreseen that his words would later speak not only of the experience of others who have been taken away from their families and kept in detention, but also of his own.

Acosta is among several members of the UP community who will be remembered as International Human Rights Day is celebrated on December 10. Since 1948, the United Nations has commemorated the date when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was enacted.

Accused by government troopers of illegal possession of firearms, Acosta is in the Calbayog City Provincial Jail. He was reportedly arrested in the presence of a barangay official last February 13 while conducting field research on communities in Western Samar. The arrest was made after soldiers found a netbook computer in his bag. The soldiers, however, also claimed that a grenade was found in his possession.

Acosta reportedly saw the grenade only when he was turned over by the troopers to the police.

Acosta’s case is not the first involving members of the UP community in 2010 and 2011. UP Diliman film student Maricon Montajes and her companions Ronilo Baes and Romiel Cañete, were arrested on June 3, 2010 while on an exposure and integration trip in Taysan, Batangas.

Members of the Philippine Air Force’s 743rd Combat Squadron arrested Montajes and her companions on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, election gun ban violation and frustrated homicide. She remains incarcerated at the Batangas Provincial Jail in Batangas City.

But while Acosta and Montajes can entertain visits from relatives, friends and supports, UP Baguio alumnus James Balao cannot.

Balao was abducted as he was on his way home on September 17, 2008. According to news reports, he was reportedly dragged by five men into a Toyota Revo and at least one of the men pointed his assault rifle at the UP alumnus. Reports quoted the suspects as saying that Balao was a drug offender who was being taken to Camp

Some constituents from different UP units gather at Quezon Hall to register sentiments and challenge the new chancellors.

select chancellors who can unite their constituents in acknowledgement of President Alfredo Pascual’s vision of UP as a great university serving the people.

While the BOR meeting was being held, workers and students of UPLB and

Human rights victims include UP constituents

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QC, Navotas to use UP’s computerized health info tracking system

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How UVLê makes life easier for the UP faculty

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november 2011

Photo by Bong Arboleda

Kule turns 89, holds grand reunion Philippine Collegian” reunion was hosted by Philippine Collegian editor-in-chief Marjohara Tucay and Board of Regents (BOR) member Bibeth Orteza, a Kule alumna.

In his opening remarks, Rep. Edcel Lagman, president of the Philippine Collegian Alumni Editors Association, retold the story of how he opposed the budget cut in UP. Lawyer Andres Prof. Elmer Ordoñez shares his postwar Kule memories. Gatmaitan, chairman emeritus The evening of October 7 at the UP of the UP alumni association, Bahay ng Alumni was a night of nostalgia encouraged giving generously to Kule. UP and reaffirmation of the militant tradition President Alfredo Pascual said that “amid of the Philippine Collegian (or Kule) as some the crises that UP faces in our collective of its alumni shared experiences with the journey toward becoming a great university, current staff over dinner. we can ask for no less than Tapang, Talas The “TATAK KULÊ: 89 na taon ng at Talab.” tapang, talas at talab ng pamamahayag ng He also said that he takes comments that

`Aspiring journalists should engage in economic journalism’ Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo

Makialam

the UP Newsletter and the Forum now sound like Kule as a compliment. UP Diliman Chancellor Caesar Saloma said that “tatak Kule” is an “indelible” mark.

During the program, other alumni narrated how Kule was during their particular years in office. Prof. Elmer Ordoñez said that when he became editor-in-chief, he was introduced to Alfredo Lagmay who told him that Kule “has a tradition of fearlessness and progressive ideas” and “whenever an issue breaks out,” the “people would await what the Collegian would say, and when the Collegian decided to express its editorial opinion, nothing in the world could stop the student paper from expressing it.”

Lawyer Roan Libarios related how the Martial Law years, being the worst of the times, brought about the best in Kule.

But Kenneth Guda said that he does not miss Kule that much as he remains critical

and dedicated to his job as editor-inchief of Pinoy Weekly, a progressive news magazine. He also called for support to free Ericson Acosta, also a former editor of Kule. Another lawyer, Homobono Adaza said that Kule orchestration influenced Philippine politics.

Prof. Judy Taguiwalo said that the “talab” (impact) of Kule was shown when the staff of the campus paper did not stop at writing and went beyond it by encouraging fellow iskolar ng bayan to serve the people.

Besides being a reunion and an occasion for meeting Kule staff and editors across generations, the event was also a fundraising activity where the alumni were asked for contributions.

According to Richard Dy, current business manager of Kule, the student publication has a P200,000 deficit annually.

Macapagal-Arroyo’s term marred by most number of media killings Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc

During the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the media had to fight on several fronts, contributing to the neglect of some issues and resulting in the weakening of the press as an institution.

Fo r m e r U P C o l l e g e o f M a s s Communication Dean Luis Teodoro stressed this point in his lecture on “Media and Communication” last September 1 at the National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) in UP Diliman.

Teodoro’s lecture was first of the series of symposia titled “UP Assessments on the Presidency and Administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2001-2010).” The NCPAG’s Center for Leadership, Citizenship and Democracy has been making post-term assessments of administrations since 1992, beginning with President Corazon Aquino’s administration.

Teodoro said the greatest challenge to the media during Macapagal-Arroyo’s term was the killing of journalists. It was when the number of journalists killed in the line of duty reached an average of nine

annually, or 79 within the nine-year period of the Arroyo presidency.

There were 21 journalists killed in the line of duty during Corazon Aquino’s term, 11 during Fidel Ramos’s and six during Joseph Estrada’s incomplete term.

As of this writing, Teodoro said that four journalists have been killed in the line of duty under the current administration of Benigno Aquino III. The 79 incidents from January 2001 to June 2010 include the killing of 32 journalists and media workers in the Ampatuan massacre of November 23, 2009. He said the country’s dismal record during Macapagal-Arroyo’s term placed the country’s press freedom ranking below other Asian countries.

Teodoro criticized the passive attitude of the Macapagal-Arroyo administration toward the killings and its lip service to press freedom. He said that media had to contend with limited access to government information, the threat of libel and withdrawal of licenses or ad placements, low pay and vulnerability to bribery. Teodoro

added that media advocacies are not supported by most owners of mainstream media organizations which consist of big businesses and conglomerates with political interests. This had also been the case in previous administrations, he said.

According to Teodoro, even the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and the College Editors Guild of the Philippines were listed as possible enemies of the state by the military. In 2007, during the coverage of the Peninsula siege, he said that many were arrested for obstruction of justice.

All these, Teodoro explained, prevented journalists from focusing on their task of self-improvement, self-regulation, selforganizing and becoming agents of change.

He said that professional and ethical lapses persist.

Teodoro said that while these goals of the profession are achieved with government encouragement, the Macapagal-Arroyo administration had the media sector “under siege for almost a decade.”

person because she asked who gave dissenting votes after the interviewee announced that a unanimous decision was made by a certain group of people.

For his part, Cito Beltran, columnist of the Philippine Star and a former anchor of ABSCBN News Channel, said that media should be developmental and not destructive, and that journalists must always equip and empower the public with the Philippine Daily Inquirer editor Tina Arceo-Dumlao (standing), San Miguel Corporation Vice-President right information. He added that for Corporate Affairs Ramon A. Santiago and Philippine Star columnist Cito Beltran (far right) listen to a economic reporters, in particular, student’s question. must translate vague business Filipino. relationships with sources and eventually concepts and jargon into something He advised those who want to go into become the reporter they trust to break understandable to the greater public. Beltran economic reporting to be confident and exclusive news. said that a reader who is not familiar with outgoing, to always introduce themselves The forum was organized by the UP economic concepts will appreciate business and not wait to be approached or asked Lingua Franca in cooperation with the news if a report shows him or her examples for their names when they cover events. Economic Journalists Association of the of how certain issues will affect the common It is the best way, he said, to start building Philippines and San Miguel Corporation.

Photo by Misael Bacani

Why should aspiring journalists consider a career in economic journalism?

Two media practitioners gave aspiring journalists their two cents’ worth on the issue at a forum titled “Reporting for Business: The Role of Media in the Economy” last August 23 at the Faculty Center, UP Diliman.

Tina Arceo-Dumlao, editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, first discussed the various beats in business reporting, such as the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); energy; trade and industry; Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the banking sector; Department of Finance, Department of Budget and Management, Bureau of Customs, and the Bureau of Internal Revenue; Agriculture; National Economic Development Authority, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and other “think tanks”; and the Department of Transportation and Communications and related agencies. She said that new reporters are usually assigned to cover the PSE and SEC while more senior journalists are tasked to cover the BSP and the banking sector.

She encouraged would-be journalists to get into economic reporting because while it is a specialized field and needs intensive research, it is only confined to regular office hours and work days. This means that business reporters have time to attend to personal matters and even travel on long weekends and during Christmas breaks.

However, Arceo-Dumlao warned against failing to do research before doing an interview or writing an article because economic reporting often deals with critical information. She also stressed the importance of being on time for interviews and coverage. People in the business sector put a premium on their time, so reporters “should not waste it.” Finally, she told the students to “never ask stupid questions” and proceeded to share an anecdote about how a new reporter was chided by a resource

Arbeen Acuña

Ness Gavanzo

Nagbukas ang UP tiangge noong Oktubre 16 sa tabi ng UP Parish of the Holy Sacrifice. Ang All-UP Workers Union ang namamahala nito. Ngayon ko lang napagtantong hindi lang ito simpleng bilihan ng mga tao lalo na ng mga tagaUP. Napakarami palang makabuluhang pangyayari ang masasaksihan dito.

Naging parte na ng aming routine na magpunta sa tiangge matapos ang office

Tiangge bilang espasyo ng kuwentuhan at pagmumulat hours. Pagkatapos maningil ng dalawang ingat-yaman (treasurer) ng unyon na sina Ate Connie (national treasurer) at Ate Wilna (Diliman treasurer) ay mag-uumpukan na kami sa stall ni Cecelle (isang staff ng unyon) para magmeryenda at magkuwentuhan.

Ang iba pang mga unyonista ay parang awtomatikong dumarating sa ganitong

oras kaya napupuno ng halakhakan at balitaktakan ang parteng iyon ng tiangge.

Ang akala nga ng mga “tiang gero,” ekstensyon iyon ng opisina ng unyon.

Kapag may kaarawan sa mga unyonista o miyembro ng pamilya nila, siguradong may magdadala ng pagkain.

Habang kumakain ay sinisimulan ang

kuwentuhan sa mga usaping unyon, tulad ng mga nangyayari sa iba’t ibang komite, mga napag-usapan sa napakaraming miting at mga pag-aaral na inilulunsad para lalong mapaunlad ang kamulatan ng kasapian nito.

Palaging paksa kung ano na ang balita sa 10 days service recognition pay, mga kontraktwal na mahigit isang dekada na sa pagseserbisyo sa pamantasan, implementasyon ng union time sa iba’t ibang yunit at opisina, delivery (Itutuloy sa pahina 3)

november 2011

U.P. Newsletter 3

Dating Pangulong SP Lopez, inalala ng mga kawani KIM Quilinguing

“Ang panunungkulan ni SP Lopez ay p a g p a p a t u n ay s a s a l i t a n g a n g pinakamahalagang bantayog ay ang banatayog sa puso ng mga Pilipino.”

Idiniin ni dating Faculty Regent Judy Taguiwalo ang puntong ito sa forum na “Si SP Lopez at ang mga Kawani at REPS” noong Setyembre 20 sa Romulo Hall, UP Diliman. Ang forum ay isa sa mga aktibidad na inihanda sa pagdiwang ng sentenaryo ng pagsilang ng dating pangulo ng UP. Ayon kay Taguiwalo, hindi naging madali ang panunungkulan ni Salvador Ponce Lopez bilang pangulo ng UP. Kinailangan niyang ibalanse ang pakikipagusap sa rehimen ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos habang pinoprotektahan ang mga kawani ng UP. Sa kabila nito, nagampanan naman ni Lopez na hindi tumitiwalag sa kanyang mga prinsipyo at ipinagtatanggol ang mga kawani at REPS (research, extension and professional staff) ng UP laban sa panghihimasok ni Marcos.

Ayon naman kay Pangulong Alfredo Pascual, si SP Lopez ay maituturing na isang visionary sa pagbuo niya ng isang unibersidad na may kakayahang ipalaganap ang kaalaman hindi lamang sa Metro Manila kundi sa ilang bahagi ng bansa mula Luzon

hanggang Mindanao. Ang pagbuo ng isang ng UP. Noong panahon ng First Quarter UP System ay isa sa mga legacy o pamana Storm, Diliman Commune at martial law, ni Lopez sa mga sumunod na namuno sa sinabi ni Ofreneo na kumilos si Lopez unibersidad.

Ani Pascual, ang administrasyon ni upang masigurong hindi makakapasok sa Lopez ay isa rin sa mga naunang nagpakita UP ang mga sundalo at pulis na basta-basta ng pagiging bukas at tapat. Binuo niya ang na lang nanghuhuli ng mga guro, kawani at Information Office, na naglathala ng UP estudyante.

Ayon naman sa dating confidential Newsletter kung saan ipinapakita ang mga assistant ni Lopez na si Miro Ponce, malaki gastos ng UP at ang mga pangyayari sa iba’t ang utang na loob niya sa presidente dahil sa ibang sektor sa unibersidad.

Sa usapin ng mga karapatan ng mga pagkapasok niya sa trabaho sa UP. Kahit na manggagawa, sinabi ni All-UP Workers si Lopez ay kanyang tiyuhin, madalas pa rin Union Diliman Chapter President Noel Marquina na si Lopez ang unang nagbigay ng boses at mga pribilehiyo sa kanila.

Sa bisa ng mga memo na nanggaling sa kanyang opisina, tiniyak ni Lopez na Arbeen Acuña palaging magkakaroon ng mga karapatan at UP Los Baños administrators, students, representasyon ang mga kawani at REPS ng faculty and staff offered prayers and UP sa mga usapin ng pamantasan. condoled with the family and loved ones Ayon kay College of Social Work of Given Grace Cebanico, 19, a junior and Community Development Dean Computer Science student who was killed Rosalinda Ofreneo, likas na maalalahanin last October 11. The criminal act was also sa mga manggagawa si Lopez. Sa kanyang condemned during the indignation rally that panunungkulan bilang Information Officer followed the program at the steps of the UP sa UP Information Office at manunulat Los Baños (UPLB) gate last October 14. sa UP Newsletter, saksi si Ofreneo kung In her prayer, Nar yne Amansec, paano inasikaso ni Lopez ang mga kawani Chemical Engineering student, said “I know she (Cebanico) is glad to be in Your (God) presence now, as there will be no more exams, no more subjects, and you would

UPLB community denounces murder of Computer Science student

Human rights victims include UP constituents (Continued from page 1)

no longer have to stay up late.”

Klarisse Espiritu Santo, Human Ecology Student, said that Cebanico was “always smiling. You would not see her not smiling,” and added that “she does not deserve what happened.” Both were dormmates and close friends of Cebanico.

The program ended with candle-lighting.

The previous day, a morning mass was held at St. Therese Chapel, while news regarding Cebanico’s demise was disseminated earlier through social networking sites where students changed their profile pictures to a black ribbon with the words “Justice for Given Grace.”

Security Measures

Dangwa in La Trinidad, Benguet. Nothing has been heard of Balao since then.

Prior to his abduction, Balao helped establish the Cordillera People’s Alliance (CPA), an organization that promotes and upholds the rights of indigenous communities not only in the Cordillera region but also in other parts of the country. Aside from the CPA, Balao is also credited by the Canada chapter of Amnesty International as having written some provisions on indigenous people’s rights in the 1987 Constitution.

Progressive and even international human rights groups had called on the Arroyo administration then and on the Aquino administration now to investigate the circumstances leading to Balao’s disappearance.

Balao’s disappearance is similar to those of UP students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño. Like Balao, the two were reportedly abducted by armed men.

Makialam

siyang pinaalalahanang dapat magserbisyo nang tapat sa UP, dahil ang serbisyo sa pamantasan ay serbisyo sa taong bayan.

Sa kanyang pagbabahagi, nanghihinayang si UP Diliman Chancellor Caesar Saloma na hindi na niya naabutan ang pamamahala ni Lopez sa unibersidad. Aniya’y nagsimula siyang mag-aral sa UP dalawang taon matapos ang termino ni Lopez. Dagdag ni Saloma, maraming mapupulot na aral galing sa pamamahala ni Lopez sa UP at kung paano niya itinaguyod ang kalayaan ng pamantasan sa gitna ng represyon.

On June 26, 2006, while they were conducting research work for local peasants, Cadapan and Empeño were forcibly taken from the house of a local named Wilfredo Ramos. Witnesses would later testify that they saw the two in several military camps.

The military, however, denied having them in custody and knowledge of their abduction.

The case of Cadapan and Empeño has become a flashpoint for human rights activists and the military since then.

Last June 23, UP President Alfredo Pascual joined concerned UP sectors in calling on the government to release all political prisoners, including UP alumni Acosta and Montajes; and to expedite the cases against the accused. On the case of Cadapan and Empeño, Pascual said “Five years is too long for a case to remain unsolved in a democratic country.”

He added that his office is also closely monitoring the cases of these UP alumni and students.

Student Regent Krissy Conti urged members of the UP community to join the struggle for the detained. In a statement published on the blog UP Issues, Conti said “We will further strive to curb impunity in the country, so that the perpetrators of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arrests and other acts of political tyranny will be held accountable.”

The Office of the Student Regent, in coordination with the UP Diliman Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs, has also been extending support to the arrested UP alumni.

Acosta, Montajes, Balao, Cadapan and Empeño are among those who will be remembered by several sectors in the UP community as International Human Rights Day nears. Their continued detention or disappearance serves as a reminder of the risks that come with the UP tradition of serving the people.

During the indignation rally, UPLB ViceChancellor for Community Affairs Virginia Cardenas urged the community to be more security-conscious. She mentioned the security measures the UPLB administration has been and will be implementing. Among these are urging barangay officials to increase the number of community patrols, putting up more lights, and constructing additional dormitories inside the campus.

The abduction of Cebanico happened outside UPLB. Cardenas said, “If I were to choose, I’d rather contain the students inside the campus.” She added, “We’ve mapped out with security groups to help tighten security,” and that beyond 10pm, ID’s shall be presented upon entry into the campus, or, upon being asked, to security personnel.

Student Regent Krissy Conti extended the condolences of UP students and

sa relasyon ng mga mag-asawa ay pinaguusapan. Nagpapalitan ng mga kurokuro kung paano mareresolba ang mga problema. Hindi sinasadyang umaabot sa mini-counseling sessions ang mga ganitong usapin.

Madalas din sa puntong ito lumalabas ang hinaing sa kakulangan sa suweldo kung saan uso sa mga kawani ang palagiang isangla ang kanilang ATM cards para lang pansamantalang makaraos sa mga gastusin.

Isa pang aktibidad na hindi naman sinasadyang nagagawa sa pag-iikot sa 50 stalls ay ang makatisod ng ilang “tianggera” na interesado sa organisasyon ng kababaihan. Sa puntong ito biglang nagiging instrumento ang tiangge para makapagpaliwanag at makapag-organisa.

May mga panahong mismong ang mga bantay sa mga tindahan ang nagbubukas ng kanilang mga problema sa kanilang mga komunidad. Isang magandang senyales ito ng papataas na antas ng kanilang

pagtitiwala sa mga taga-unyon.

Habang naghihintay na dumating ang ibang unyonista, napansin ko ring ang pagtambay sa tiangge ay nagiging pagkakataon upang muling makita ang mga nakasabayang kumilos noon sa hanay ng kabataang estudyante. Minsan nga’y gusto ko nang gumawa ng listahan ng kung anu-ano na ang mga pinagkakaabalahan nitong mga “dating” tibak.

Isa rin itong espasyo kung saan nagkakaroon ng kumustahan sa mga namimiling miyembro ng unyon pero madalang makadalo sa mga aktibidad.

Dito nalilinaw sa kanila kung ano ang mga bagay na patuloy na tinutugunan ng unyon kasabay na ang walang sawang pag-imbita sa kanila na maging aktibo sa mga gawaing pang-unyon.

Siyempre hindi mawawala ang usapusapan tulad ng mga araw na matumal ang benta at nahihiyang maningil ng renta ang mga taga-unyon.

Ang nakukuhang kita sa tiangge ay

ginagamit ng unyon para mailunsad ang iba’t ibang programa nito, gayundin ang pagsuporta sa iba’t ibang sektor na patuloy na nakikipaglaban para sa kani-kanilang batayang karapatan. Ito rin naman ang dahilan kung bakit nakabili ang unyon ng segunda-manong sasakyan na totoong nakakatulong nang malaki sa patuloy na paggampan ng organisasyon sa iba’t ibang gawain.

Kaya doon sa mga dati nang suki ng tianggeng ito at sa mga pupunta pa lamang, ito po ay hindi isang pangkaraniwang hilera lamang ng mga murang bilihin. Ito po ay makabuluhang espasyo para tayo ay patuloy na mamulat sa iba’t ibang isyu hindi lamang dito sa pamantasan kundi sa buong lipunan.

(Continued on page 4)

(Mula sa pahina 2)

ng pangatlong sako ng bigas (rice subsidy) at iba pa.

Pati nga planong free review sessions para sa mga empleyadog kukuha ng civil service examinations ay natatalakay dito. Tinutukoy ang mga propesor at REPS mula sa AllUP Academic Employees’ Union na magsisilbing mga instruktor, lugar na pagdarausan na magiging komportable ang mga magrerebyu (at siyempre dapat walang bayad dahil mga empleyado naman ang gagamit) at mga lohistikal na bagay kasama ang mga taong tututok dito para maging matagumpay ang proyektong ito.

Tama nga siguro ang hinuha ng mga “tianggero” na ekstenyon lang ng opisina ng unyon ang maliit na mesang bilog sa harap ng stall na laman ay mga tsinelas, sandalyas at damit.

Matapos ang mga seryosong usapan, biglang mapupunta ang diskusyon sa mga personal na buhay. May pagkilala na parte ito ng buhay-unyon. Mula sa mga problema sa mga anak hanggang

Si Ness Gavanzo ay empleyado ng UP Diliman Gender Office.

Gusto mong makialam? Ipadala ang iyong sanaysay sa wikang Filipino (500-700 salita) sa UP System Information Office (upsio@up.edu.ph)

4 U.P. Newsletter

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UP Manila reports rise in poisoning, HIV-AIDS cases There has been a steady rise in the number of hospital admissions due to poisoning, and an 800-percent increase in HIV infections in the last eight years.

However, there has been a 17-percent reduction in the number of Filipinos suffering from worm infections.

These were revealed during the first “Health UP-date Manila” forum organized recently by the UP Manila Information, Publication, and Public Affairs Office (UPM IPPAO). The forum aims to bring relevant medical and public health news and information to the public.

Poisoning

Dr. Lynn Panganiban, former director and now consultant at the National Poison Management and Control Center (NPMCC) of the UPM-Philippine General Hospital (PGH), said that in 2010 alone, poisoning cases at PGH reached 3,332, or an average of 10 cases a day. Of these cases, 20 percent ingested silver jewelry cleaner; 16 percent sodium hypochlorite; 12 percent kerosene; and 11 percent paracetamol.

Other commonly used toxicants were pyrethroids, organophosphates and hydrochloric acid.

e-Talakayan, a radio program of the UP Information Technology Training Center (ITTC), starts airing on DZUP 1602 this November, with UP ITTC Director Jaime Caro as the first resource speaker.

The program will be hosted by ITTC’s Prof. Mario Carreon and will air every Wednesday, 1 to 2 p.m.

The signing of the letter of agreement between ITTC and DZUP was held last October 25 at the DZUP Station. Present were Caro, Carreon, College of Mass Communication (CMC) Dean Roland Tolentino, DZUP Station Manager Prof. Jane Vinculado, CMC Broadcast Communication Department Chair Rosa Maria Feliciano, DZUP Program Producer Edgie Francis Uyanguren, ITTC’s Content Development Team head Nathaniel Villanueva and ITTC’s Program Producer Sarah “Joy” Salvio. e-Talakayan aims to promote IT use among the different sectors of society through discussion of innovations, trends and current research in the field.

2011 UP Scientists named, feted (Continued from page 1)

Gabriel of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition; Prof. Annabelle A. Herrera of the Institute of Biology (renewal of rank awarded in 2008); Prof.

Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay (renewal of rank awarded in 2008) of the National Institute of Geological Sciences and Prof. Arnel T. Salvador of the National Institute of Physics (renewal of rank awarded in 2008).

Nine from UP Los Baños (UPLB) were named Scientist I. They are Prof.

Menandro N. Acda of the Department of Forest Products and Paper Science (renewal of rank awarded in 2008); Prof. Nestor T.

UPLB community denounces murder of Computer Science student (Continued from page 5) shared how she too lost a friend because of a crime at the UP Diliman AS Steps in 2005. She called for “collective action” and the adoption of a “buddy system” among students so they can protect one another.

She suggested that the community be included in ensuring security, since closing UPLB to the community as a safety measure would be “insular.”

In an interview, USC-UPLB chair Pura Beatriz Valle condemned the atrocity and called for justice. She also said that UPLB and the community would review security measures. Because more lamp posts alone would not ensure safety, she suggested more police visibility and an increase in the number of the University Police Force (UPF) personnel. She added that dorm managers should also be given security roles and that the government and the university should lead in protecting the students.

“May there be justice, not just by making sure that students get the quality education they dearly pay for, but in making sure

the use of solutions with cyanide in cleaning silver jewelry. Both warn against buying unregistered or unlabeled cleaning solutions.

NPMCC is the country’s lead agency in poison control and provides a 24-hour poison information service, laboratory tests and confirmatory tests. Its hotline is (+632) 524-1078 and its mobile number is (+63922) 896-1541.

HIV-AIDS

Classified as a low-prevalence country in HIV-AIDS cases until early 2000, the Philippines is now one of seven countries in the world to have seen a significant increase in cases in the last eight years, with HIV infections up by more than 800 percent. The other six countries are Armenia, Bangladesh, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Krygyztan and Tajikistan.

Dr. Edsel Maurice Salvana, faculty researcher of the UPM National Institutes of Health, said that the DOH attributes the increase to the growing number of cases of males having sex with other males and sex workers; and of drug users using needles. “The cases come from all sorts of professions.”

While just over 7,000 cases have been reported since 1984, more than half of these were diagnosed Tolentino and Caro shake hands while Vinculado, Feliciano and Salvio present only in the last four years. The 204 the agreement.

Photo by Bong Arboleda

e-Talakayan airs on DZUP

Panganiban said that suicide cases through poisoning, especially among teenagers, and usually during December and February, are increasing. She also reported a rise in poison-related suicide attempts during the enrolment period.

“Most of the time, it is relational, there is a problem in the family or other loved ones. We rarely see cases related to job loss.”

Based on NPMCC’s documentation, the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) have banned

(Continued on page 5)

Baguinon and Prof. Edwino S. Fernando (renewal of rank awarded in 2008) of the Department of Forestry Biological Sciences; Dr. Waren N. Baticados of the Department of Veterinary Paraclinical Sciences; Prof. Virginia C. Cuevas and Prof. Merlyn S. Mendioro of the Institute of Biological Sciences; Prof. Leonardo M. Florece and Prof. Maria Victoria OrtegaEspaldon of the School of Environmental Science and Management; and Prof. Pablito M. Magdalita of the Institute of Plant Breeding.

From UP Manila, those named Scientist I are Dr. Charlotte M. Chiong of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology; Dr. Antonio L. Dans of the Department of Medicine; and Prof. Arnold V. Hallare of the Department of Biology.

UP Visayas, meanwhile, has the following

named Scientist I: Prof. Rosalie Arcala-Hall and Prof. Rodelio F. Subade of the Division of Social Sciences; Prof. Ricardo P. Babaran of the Institute of Marine

that the students are safe as they leave the university premises until they arrive home.”

She also encouraged fellow students to be vigilant about their safety.

death.”

In a follow-up interview regarding the criminal offenses charged against the suspects, Cardenas said that, “to clarify the point, reports came to us in progression with the investigation process.

Based on reports given to us during the early stages of the investigation, initial cases filed were kidnapping, robbery and murder. However, medical and other autopsy findings revealed later, and rape was concluded. And hence, two grave offenses of rape and murder apparently were sufficient to cover the rest.”

Both suspects had been apprehended the previous week, before Cebanico’s burial last October 18 in her hometown in Binangonan, Rizal, and, as of press time, were in the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Canlubang, Laguna.

A week before the rape-slay of Cebanico, Jee-Ann de Guzman, 26, marketing officer of UP hostel, was also raped and killed in Camarin, Caloocan City. According to a report in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Erik Macaraan, one of the suspects, was arrested last October 12.

Scenes of the Crime

According to the initial police report of the University Police Force under the Office of the UPLB Vice-Chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA), last October 11 Cebanico was found “alongside the creek inside the Agri-park compound” in UPLB. She was last seen by Avery Garcia and Jerico dela Cruz, both Computer Science students working on an academic requirement with Cebanico at an apartment in Umali Subdivision. The police report said that “she left the apartment alone” at around 2 a.m. of October 11, “going back to the 5th of September Mansion, carrying her unbrella (sic), shoulder bag containing her laptop, Iphone and cash money. ” Police said Cebanico was kidnapped on her way home by suspect Ivan Lester Rivera, “a security guard of Grandeur Security Agency, assigned at PS Bank,” and dragged inside the tricycle of suspect Percival de Guzman. Cebanico was “robbed of her belongings and shot resulting to her

Fisheries and Oceanology; and Prof.

Juliana C. Baylon and Prof. Wilfredo L. Campos of the Division of Biological Sciences.

Prof. Larry N. Digal of the School of Management is the lone Scientist I from UP Mindanao.

The recipients of the Scientist II rank from UPLB are Prof. Christian Joseph R. Cumagun of the Crop Protection Cluster (elevation of Scientist I title awarded in 2008) and Prof. Ireneo L. Lit Jr. of the Institute of Biological Sciences (elevation of Scientist I title awarded in 2006).

Dr. Jose Florencio F. Lapeña Jr. of the UPM Department of Otorhinolaryngology was also named Scientist II. The highest rank awarded under the SPS is Scientist III. This year, it was given to Dr. Leonila F. Dans of the UPM Departments of Pediatrics and Clinical Epidemiology; and Prof. Juan M. Pulhin of the UPLB Department of Social Forestry and Forest Governance (elevation of Scientist II rank awarded in 2008).

During the ceremony, University Professor Emeritus Cecilia Florencio stressed the need to “nurture desirable research ethos.” She said that “instilling research consciousness and building research competence in UP students should begin… when [they] conceptualize [their] general and professional curricular programs.”

National Scientist and University Professor Emeritus Ernesto Domingo, for his part, said that the value placed on research has significantly improved in UP over the last few decades. When he began his UP career in the late 1960s, he said that there was practically no funding for research because it was perceived as somewhat “inferior to teaching.” In recent years, UP has produced a great number of researchers due to the importance it has placed on research. This kind of environment, Domingo said, promotes the conduct of quality research.

National Scientist and Professor Emeritus Lourdes Cruz said that being formally recognized and rewarded by UP is an incentive that will encourage those who are actively doing research to take their studies further and push those who are hesitant to engage in research activities.

Responding on behalf of the awardees, Dans said that she enjoys the distinct brand of freedom UP is known for and is highly inspired by the academic community’s collective intelligence. Pulhin, on the other hand, said that the SPS is an excellent tradition that should be continued and is symbolic of the university’s commitment to

(Continued on page 5)

november 2011

U.P. Newsletter 5

QC, Navotas to use UP’s computerized health info tracking system

(Above) Quezon City Mayor Bautista and UP President Pascual sign MOA for the deployment of CHITS, as Vice-Mayor Joy Belmonte and UP Manila Chancellor Ramon Arcadio witness. (Below) Shown in the MOA signing with Navotas City are City Acting Health Officer Liberty Domingo, Mayor John Reynald Tiangco, UP Manila Vice-Chancellor Talens, and NTHC Director Portia Grace Fernandez-Marcelo.

Photo courtesy of UPM-IPPAO

Quezon City and Navotas City have adopted a technology developed by UP for automated tracking of health information of its constituents.

The system for computerizing public health information or CHITS (Community Health Information Tracking System) was developed by the National Telehealth Center (NTHC) of UP Manila, which has been establishing partnerships with local government units to use the system.

According to UP Manila, an efficient and fast health information tracking system is a major step in forecasting and delivering health services, allocating resources and personnel, responding to health emergencies, and ensuring preventive health care.

Last September 12, Quezon City launched its health information computerization project, declaring in press statements that P8.5 million has been allotted for it. A memorandum of agreement was signed between the city, represented by its mayor, Herbert Bautista, and UP, represented by President Alfredo Pascual, at the Bulwagang Amoranto of the City Hall.

According to the Quezon City local government, the CHITS program will aggregate relevant health information from five health districts, seven lying-in clinics, three social hygiene clinics and 63 health centers without using papers, folders and envelopes. This enables more than three million residents to have their consultation and health care services record stored and retrieved electronically.

“For Quezon City, we will integrate the other health programs of the [Department of Health] and requirements of the City Health

Photo by Bong Arboleda

Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc

Department such as communicable and non-communicable diseases, environmental sanitation, elderly program, social hygiene services and lying-in clinic services,” Portia Marcelo, director of the NTHC, said in a press statement.

T he Quezon City Infor mation Technology Development Office will provide computers for every health center in

UPM DOVS does free eye surgeries

UPV gets P1.3 million for

CMVillamor, UPM Newsletter

Anna Razel L. Ramirez

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, UP Manila’s Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (DOVS) is operating for free on the eyes of 50 indigent patients.

Named 50@50, the program is a chance for alumni consultants to share their expertise with the poorest of poor patients, said Dr. Archimedes Agahan, coordinator of the DOVS Community Service Committee which organized the program. He said the eye operations started even before the DOVS anniversary and could go beyond 50 patients if more funds could be tapped.

In his brief message during the program’s launch, UPM Chancellor Ramon Arcadio commended DOVS’s commitment to community service and sight preservation. He said that sight preservation is still a major concern in the Philippines where a huge number of Filipinos still suffer from preventable eye diseases like cataracts and glaucoma.

Arcadio said 75 percent of blindness cases in the country could be prevented and managed. Estimates put at half a million the number of Filipinos suffering from cataracts and other preventable causes of blindness.

While there are remedies available, Arcadio said most Filipinos cannot afford the high cost of surgery and other procedures. The eye operations performed

by DOVS consultants cost from P10,000 to P200,000 each.

IT business incubation The UP Visayas College of Management (UPV CM) received a check for P1.3 million from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Region VI last October 10 at the CM building, UPV Iloilo City campus to start up business incubation in the area of Information Technology.

2011 UP Scientists named, feted (Continued from page 4)

strengthen its research capabilities.

UP Vice-President for Academic Affairs Gisela Concepcion said that aside from the SPS, UP also has the Arts Productivity System as part of its program to reward outstanding members of the academe, adding that the UP System also has creative and research work grants available.

Concepcion said that the International Publication Award will be enhanced.

The Emerging Interdisciplinary Research Program, an offshoot of the previous Emerging Fields in Science and Technology Program, is also being put in place.

She said that UP is also looking into inviting more visiting professors to become mentors in the various PhD programs, as well as providing a mechanism for young faculty to more quickly complete their graduate studies.

the city in line with the computerization project. Early this year, the city council passed an ordinance, authored by Precious Hipolito Castelo, to computerize the city’s health centers.

Last September 5, the Navotas City government headed by Mayor John Reynald Tiangco signed a P2.8-million CHITS project with UP Manila, represented by DOST Regional Director Rowen Gelonga turned over the check to UPV Chancellor Minda Formacion and CM Dean Joy Lizada in a ceremony witnessed

by UPV faculty and staff.

The Small Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Development Services Business Incubation (SEEDS-TBI) will be the first in the region which will cater to ICT-based and -enabled start-ups and enterprises. According to team leader John Lorenz Belanio, SEED-TBI “is bent on achieving the goal to catalyze entrepreneurial development and leap-

Vice-Chancellor for Administration Orlino Talens, to explore the potentials of UP’s electronic medical record system for government health centers using smart phones.

“Mobile CHITS would provide me with information I need to address immediate health concerns of my people, adequately plan for the prevention of future ailments and sickness and prepare for the first Navotas City Hospital I plan to build within my term,” Tiango said in a press release.

The Navotas City local government purchased 22 Blackberry smart phones last July to be used by midwives during their house-to-house visits. CHITS will be installed in nine health centers and one lying-in clinic of the city. The 100-strong health personnel of the city will be trained for the system. The city envisions full implementation by 2012.

The system automatically generates reports that are compliant with the DOH’s Field Health Service Information System (FHSIS) which is required from local governments. A module for Philhealth is also included to track health services delivered to its members and their dependents.

By automating the health information system, health workers can focus more on providing health services to the constituents. Computerization also means saving on paper and ink.

The NTHC provides training for the users of CHITS which runs on opensource software.

As of 2011, CHITS is operating in over 50 health centers nationwide. It was piloted in 2004 in Pasay City. frog economic growth in the region by providing technical and business support to ICT-based and -enabled startups and enterprises to prepare them for their eventual convergence with the mainstream business environment.”

An Australian business volunteer, Andrew Neeson, assisted the college in laying out the development plan for the SEEDS-TBI. Gelonga expressed hope that the technologies developed in the TBI would flourish and assist in the region’s development.

UP Manila reports rise in poisoning, HIV-AIDS cases (Continued from page 4) new cases reported by the DOH last July is the highest ever, with approximately seven new cases a day. These brought the number of cases to 7,235.

Of this, 884 progressed into AIDS. This number contrasts with one new case every three days in 2000. Of the 7,235 cases, 1,220 were registered this year alone. There were 327 who have died of the ailment since HIV-AIDS surveillance began in the country in 1984.

Salvana advised people engaged in high-risk behavior to submit themselves to testing which costs only P285 at PGH, the cheapest so far, where a comprehensive HIV-AIDS clinic can be found.

Worm infections

Dr. Juan Antonio Solon, professor of parasitology at the UPM College of Public Health (CPH), said that there is a 17-percent reduction in the number of Filipinos suffering from worm infections.

This decrease can be attributed to the control programs of the DOH and the

CPH, among others, which include giving deworming drugs to preschoolers and schoolchildren twice a year.

DOH hopes to deworm 85 percent of Filipino children. Solon also urged the practice of regular and proper handwashing.

According to him, wor m-related infections can lead to children’s poor performance in school, poor physical fitness and poor growth. Moderate to heavy infections result in poor absorption of nutrients, blood loss, and poor utilization of iron.

He said that in the Philippines, three kinds of soil-transmitted helminths preying on young children are endemic in the country, based on a national prevalence survey conducted by CPH professors.

These are trichuris, ascaris and hookworms.

The most frequently encountered was trichuris which was found in more than half of the population in six out of 39 provinces surveyed. (CMVillamor)

6 U.P. Newsletter

november 2011

Photo courtesy of UPOU Information Office

UPOU prof wins silver medal in regional innovation awards Anna Canas

Prof. Librero receives the award from on AAOU official.

A UP Open University assistant professor bagged the Young Innovator Award 2011 silver medal at the 25th Annual Conference of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) held from September 28 to 30 in Penang, Malaysia.

Prof. Al Francis Librero of the UPOU Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS) was awarded for his paper on “Augmenting the Learning Management System of the UP Open University.”

Librero was one of 15 officials, faculty members and research staff from the UPOU who presented papers at the conference hosted by the Wawasan Open University.

His paper addressed the limitations of the Moodle, UPOU’s open source course management system, in collaborative learning. He expanded its functionalities by installing modules and different plugins and integrating external web applications such as conferencing, blogging, e-portfolios and rich media content management through single sign on. The findings of the study were based on an analysis of performance as well as feedback from users.

The Young Innovator Awards are given to outstanding papers authored by AAOU participants under the age of 40.

Other papers presented by UPOU participants for the 24th AAOU Annual Conference were by Alvie Simonette Alip, Yasele Irene Angela Yambao, Patricia

Arinto, Melinda Bandalaria, Sheila Bonito, Roberto Jr Figueroa, Alexander Flor, Benjamina Flor, Juvy Lizette Gervacio, Marie-Sol Hidalgo, Angelo Vermeulen, Diego Maranan, Maria Fe Mendoza, Maria Estrella Sibal and Jean Saludadez.

Meanwhile, seven UPOU officials, faculty and research personnel attended the 24th International Council for Distance Education (ICDE) World Conference held from October 2 to 5 in Bali, Indonesia.

Arinto, Bandalaria, Bonito, Gervacio, Mendoza, and Joane Serrano presented papers.

UPOU Chancellor Grace Javier Alfonso led both contingents.

UPOU is a member of the AAOU and ICDE.

How UVLê makes life easier for the UP faculty Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta

The pros of using UVLê

As detailed in Iskwiki (iskwiki.upd. edu.ph/index.php/Why_Use_UVLe_ Instead_of_Yahoo_or_Google_Groups), UVLê’s wide range of course management features and activities that set it apart from Yahoo! Groups and Google Groups include the following: UVLê allows teachers to collect assignments online. It also has a timesensitive feature that allows teachers to set a deadline beyond which no submissions are accepted. UVLê also keeps a record of student logins, activities and submissions.

internally.”

Sy also cites the advantages of UVLê’s RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feature, which allows teachers to select reputable and credible websites and articles that would enhance lessons, and send these to subscribed students. This will prevent students using just any blog or website as a source of information. “In a learning management system, you are awash with

information, which is not always a good thing, but nonetheless, everything you need is there before you.”

UVLê prevents “accidental” public sharing of copyrighted instructional materials, which is possible through Yahoo! Groups and Google Groups. “That is really very dangerous in a university,” said Sy. “With Yahoo! Groups and (Continued on page 7)

Japan research vessel visits UP Visayas Anna Razel L. Ramirez with contributions from NCAnasco

The Kagoshima-maru , a research and training vessel of the Kagoshima University Faculty of Fisheries (KUFF), was in Iloilo from September 14 to 20, 2011 for the shipboard training of undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in marine fisheries subjects at the UP Visayas College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (UPV CFOS).

The training is part of the memorandum of agreement between the UPV and KUFF on student exchange.

Nineteen CFOS students boarded Kagoshima-maru at the International Port in Loboc last September 15 for a three-day shipboard training at the Sulu Sea. They were accompanied by Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanology (IMFO) Profs.

Harold Monteclaro, Ricardo Babaran and Gerald Quinitio; and KUFF Profs. Tatsuro Matsuoka and Takahisa Mitsuhashi who served as their trainers and lecturers. Their training exposed students to longline fishing, plankton/fish larval sampling and oceanographic sampling.

The ship also had on board 26 Japanese BS Fisheries students and 27 ship officers and crew. The participants from UPV disembarked on September 18 and reported catching seven big tunas, one barracuda and two other fish species.

Last September 19, the 26 Japanese students together with their three ship officers visited the UPV Miagao campus. On the same day, Kagoshima-maru opened its doors to UPV constituents and personnel of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).

The Kagoshima-maru left for Japan on September 20.

Kagoshima-maru, which has an overall length of 69.27 meters, gross tonnage of 1297 tons, and a sea speed of 13 knots, turned 30 years old last October 30. This year is its final trip to the Philippines before it is replaced by a new and more modern vessel which will be visiting the country in two years.

As part of the MOA between UPV and KUFF for research collaboration, student and faculty exchange and academic projects are currently being done on both campuses.

The two universities have research partnerships, particularly during the 10-year Core University Program for Fisheries under the auspices of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

The vessel’s visit to the country was made possible through the efforts of the CFOS, IMFO and KUFF. Photo courtesy of UPV-IPO

For UP faculty who must jug gle lectures, papers, assignments and projects for multiple classes along with committee and administrative tasks, work could become hectic.

But with the University Virtual Learning Environment or UVLê version 2.0 (uvle. upd.edu.ph), the UP Diliman faculty have a powerful and flexible tool to help make teaching and course work easier, more efficient and far more convenient for both the faculty and the students, all with a uniquely UP touch.

According to the UP Diliman Wiki site dubbed “Iskwiki” (iskwiki.upd.edu.ph), UVLê—a homophonic play on “Oblê”, a contraction of “Oblation”—is an online course management system operated and maintained by the Diliman Interactive Learning Center (DILC). It enables instructors to “organize their classes around topics, themes, weekly schedules; upload digitized materials and share them with students; link relevant materials from other sites; post announcements that will be sent out automatically to students; and create online forums and wikis for students to participate in.”

Powered by an open-source application called Moodle, UVLê is “a platform for students to freely interact or collaborate with their instructors and fellow students. It is constructed with a pedagogy that imbibes self-discovery, self-instruction, ‘learning by doing’ and experimentation.”

The best way to describe the usefulness of UVLê’s features is to compare it to Yahoo! Groups and Google Groups, which share some common features with UVLê. However, according to DILC Director Peter Sy, the differences between a general-purpose mailing list such as Yahoo! Groups and Google Groups, and a learning management system such as UVLê, are significant. “A learning management system is a platform developed [specifically] to run courses.

Its purpose is really educational, so it has features and activities that Yahoo! Groups and Google Docs really cannot offer.”

“You know the excuse students sometimes use: ‘Ma’am, I emailed the assignment to you but you didn’t receive it’? In a learning management system, you have none of that because UVLê logs in all the students’ activities,” Sy said.

UVLê allows instructors to group students into smaller groups for assignments and other activities, just as in a face-to-face class. This is ideal in managing large classes or courses taught by a team of faculty.

UVLê lets teachers run a wide variety of activities, such as online quizzes, surveys, online chat, graded forums (complete with rules, guidelines, guide questions and a criteria for grading), and a wiki that can track the history of contributions and allow for comparisons in content. Students and teachers can comment on one another’s inputs in forums. Students can even grade one another, in addition to the grade given by the teacher (another feature unavailable in Yahoo! Groups and Google Groups).

“There are fears that the students will just end up scratching each other’s back, but that is not what is actually happening,” said Sy. Students are required to produce insightful, creative and critical inputs with properly cited sources in these forums, hence instilling academic discipline and integrity as well as creative and critical thinking. “You can see that they understand the lessons and can articulate their ideas, and when you critique them, they are able to respond,” said Sy, who adds that students now generally spend more time in these online forums than in “brick and mortar” lectures. “In [the] ‘brick and mortar’ [world], students can show up unprepared and just wing it. But [in UVLê], it is hard to fake it. It’s easy to tell if the student hadn’t studied the lesson.”

All in all, these activities are geared toward encouraging student-teacher and student-student interactions.

UVLê lets teachers upload and share resources such as journal articles and other texts, multimedia and other files, and links to websites, or embed them right into their course outlines.

Teachers can even upload materials for all their courses onto UVLê in advance in what Sy calls a kind of “chest”, and just select which materials will be given to students in which course instead of having to re-upload materials every semester.

Guide questions to lessons can also be stored in UVLê in a kind of “question bank”. With its file upload limit of up to 50MB and no limit to the total server space for a course, UVLê can more than handle the load. “No need to bloat your system, because your materials are linked

Kagoshima-maru leaves the port for the shipboard training of 19 CFOS students.

november 2011

U.P. Newsletter 7

UP professors receive first FWIS national fellowships

Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc

L’Oreal Philippines, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) have awarded the first For Women In Science (FWIS) National Fellowships to Prof. Maria Corazon de Ungria of the UP Natural Sciences Research Institute (NSRI) and Prof. Laura David of the UP Marine Science Institute (MSI).

An announcement in the FWIS

managing director of L’Oréal Philippines, said. “We are deeply pleased to award [the fellowships to] Dr. De Ungria and Dr. David for their ground-breaking work and unfailing commitment to science. These women are inspirational role models choosing the road less taken and even with that seemingly daunting decision, they have contributed much through their hard work in their chosen fields of study.”

Prof. De Ungria is a professorial lecturer for the Science and Technology Series at the UP Diliman (UPD) College of Science. She is also head of the DNA Analysis Laboratory at the NSRI. She was awarded the fellowship grant for her research proposal in Mitochondrial DNA Diversity of Philippine Negrito Populations. “The project is part of an overall program aimed to study Philippine genetic diversity for anthropological, forensic and medical applications,” the FWIS website article said.

On the other hand, Prof. David is a professor at the MSI also at UPD and is a member in the Technical Committee on Climate Change of the Philippine National Academy of Science and Technology

website said the fellowship grants worth P400,000 each were awarded by a jury chaired by UP Scientist III and National Scientist Lourdes Cruz, the first Filipino and first ASEAN Laureate of the FWIS L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards.

The grants are meant “to recognize and award Filipina scientists, in the hopes of encouraging broader involvement of women at all levels of the scientific community,” Luc Olivier-Marquet,

Photo courtesy of FWIS-Philippines

Profs. De Ungria and David

DZUP wins in 33rd CMMA DZUP (1602 kHz AM station) bagged two awards at the 33rd Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA) held last October 19 at the San Carlos Seminary Auditorium, Edsa Guadalupe, Makati City.

According to an announcement in the website of the UP Diliman College of Mass Communication (http:// masscomm.upd.edu.ph), “That’s Entreptainment” of the UP Institute for Small Scale Industries which airs every Friday at

How UVLê makes life easier for the UP faculty

5:00 pm was awarded the Best Business News Feature Program. “TUTI: Tunog at Tinig” of the College of Music which airs every Wednesday at 5:00 pm got a Special Citation in the Best Entertainment Program Category.

The 33rd CMMA aims “to reward, as well as to pay tribute to, media projects that enhance the total development of the Filipino audience through the competent and professional use of mass media techniques.”

(Continued from page 6)

Google Groups, you cannot argue that your materials are for classroom use only, because these could be open to the public if the settings are not done properly.”

UVLê on the other hand keeps everything strictly within the UPD system, hence upholding intellectual property rights.

UVLê features a “Crot Tool for Plagiarism Detection”, which helps teachers detect plagiarized materials that students submit on UVLê. Not only does the anti-plagiarism tool compare the students’ work with sources located elwhere online, it also compares students’ work among fellow students within UVLê who are also taking the same course to detect copycats.

No spam and no ads in UVLê.

UPV students place 2nd in marketing research competition A team of six students from the College of Management of UP Visayas (UPV) won the second prize in the 2011 AGORA Youth Marketing Research Competition held last October 8 at Treston International College, Metro Manila.

Coached by Prof. Reynold Tan, the team is composed of Ria Irene Alvariño, Rea Grace Gregori, Maolen Suarez, Mabel Toledo, Mawi Tulayan, and April Rose Villaruel. The team members are all students of BS Business Administration, major in Marketing.

Students from the John Gokongwei

School of Management (JGSOM) of Ateneo de Manila University won first prize. De La Salle University and University of Santo Tomas tied at third place.

For this year’s competition, the Philippine Marketing Association teamed up with the Marketing and Opinion Research Society of the Philippines to hold a marketing research competition on expanding the Silver Box jewelry shop.

The marketing research competition is a new category in the AGORA Youth Awards. ( With reports by Lyncen M. Fernandez)

The many uses of UVLê

Photo courtesy of UPV-IPO

Prof. Reynold Tan, Maolen Suarez, Rea Gregori, Mawi Talayan, Mabel Toledo, Ria Alvarino, April Villaruel, Ms. Jacqui Dayrit Boncan (Silverbox), Mr. Nicco de Jesus (MORES) and PMA President Von de Torres.

and International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme-Land Ocean Interaction in the Coastal Zone Project-Southeast Asia Node Core group. Her research proposal is titled “Endeavoring for Wise Mariculture,” a study of the different regions in the Philippines in terms of their physical characteristics to evaluate the appropriateness of each site as a mariculture park.

The FWIS program has been promoting excellence among young women scientists for more than a decade in more than 93 countries.

Nearly 1,100 women have received FWIS awards – 67 laureates from 30 countries and over 1,000 fellowship awardees.

T h i s y e a r, t h e F W I S N a t i o n a l Fellowships–Philippines will accept research proposals related to the Life and Material Sciences from applicants who hold a PhD degree in any field of science and are not more than 45 years old. Two fellowship grants will once again be awarded.

Nominations will be accepted from November 2011 to February 2012.

To know more about FWIS National Fellowships–Philippines, please email the FWIS Secretariat at FWISsecretariat@eon. com.ph.

UVLê’s usefulness and relevance as a teaching and coursework tool is most clearly seen in cases when classes are suspended due to typhoons, walk-outs or declarations of national holidays.

Coordinating schedules and venues for makeup work can be a hassle. Rather than be limited to face-to-face classes that requires a common time and the availability of a classroom, teachers can adjust the time-shift in certain activities or assignments on UVLê to make up for lost time. Setting consultation schedules with students is likewise made easier through UVLê.

As of August 1, 2011, there are a total of 1,525 classes on UVLê, with the largest number coming from the College of Engineering. The College of Science has the second largest number of classes. For his part, Sy, who teaches courses in Bioethics, cannot imagine doing coursework without UVLê. “I don’t ask my students to submit exams written on bluebooks, because sometimes I can’t read their handwriting,” he said. UVLê also alleviates the worry of losing a student’s bluebook or assignment.

“In the end, it’s about making the life of UP faculty easier.”

With students now spending more time on computers and the Internet, UVLê provides the perfect platform for

academic work and self-expression within UP, which serves to enhance their “brick and mortar” experience in the University.

In fact, in many cases, it is the students who encourage the faculty to go UVLê.

For faculty with questions about the workings of UVLê, Sy assures them that technical support is always available at the DILC. “We have a turn-around time in the DILC, so when you ask us a question, we will answer you within 24 hours,” said Sy. All in keeping with the DILC’s strategy of promoting a “responsive customer service orientation.”

UVLê for the community

In addition to teaching and coursework, UP faculty often undertake committee work. Once again, UVLê has something to offer the busy professor through its committee work management mechanism.

This feature enables committee members to calendar activities, set agendas, approve previous minutes and schedule meetings.

UVLê also makes the materials and minutes of the University Council easily accessible, in keeping with the generally multi-stakeholder thrust of the DILC. Through its blog features, message boards and walls—not to mention its feature that makes the minutes and materials of the University Council available to its faculty members— UVLê also works as a potential force in promoting the sense of community among the constituents of UP Diliman.

“Our message to the community is that UVLê has many features relevant [to every member of the community],” said Sy. “If you look at the big picture, you see many [forces] such as media pulling us outward in other directions. But we also need a platform that would pull the community together.” As to that, UVLê is definitely a good beginning.

For more information on how to get started with UVLê, visit its website at uvle. up.edu.ph, or visit its wiki page at iskwiki. upd.edu.ph/index.php/Uvle. You can also contact the UP DILC, tel. nos. 920-9556, 981-8500 local 2058, or email dilc@up. edu.ph.

8 U.P. Newsletter

november 2011 Photo by Bong Arboleda

Outgoing UPLB chancellor consolidates Centennial Lectures Josephine M.Bo

Photo bcourtesy of UPLB-OPR

UP constituents challenge new chancellors

(Continued on page 9)

UP Experts for the Environment.The Center for Integrative and Development Studies held a system-wide workshop on the environment, “Protect Life, Conserve Life,” last September 26 and 27 at its headquarters in UP Diliman as a post-investiture activity for President Alfredo Pascual. The workshop integrated myriad university research on the environment to determine the status of Philippine environment and chart future directions for research and policy.

UPLB honors Pascual with concert

Kim Sony L. Mendoza

UP Los Baños (UPLB) celebrated the thanked the UPLB community for staging assumption into office of UP President a concert which emphasized the passion of Alfredo Pascual with a pre-investiture UPLB to continue its legacy. This would concert entitled “ Alay-Hiling ,” last serve as inspiration in accomplishing his goals for the entire UP System and for the September 5 at the D.L. Umali Hall.

The concert featured folk, classic, country, Pascual said.

UPLB Chancellor Luis Rey Velasco and contemporary, and popular musical and dance performances of the different the Office for Initiatives in Culture and cultural groups in UPLB. Among the the Arts (OICA) headed by Prof. Maria performers at the event were Harmonya: Teresa Arejola organized the concert, in The String Ensemble of UPLB, UPLB cooperation with the offices of the viceChorale Ensemble (UPLB CE), UP Rural chancellors and the UPLB SAMASINING, High School (UPRHS) Glee Club and the laboratory arm of the Department of Humanities (DHUM) of the College of UPLB Sandayaw.

Video presentations of old and Arts and Sciences (CAS).

The show was directed by Prof. Dennis recent images of UPLB and the colleges’ Gupa and co-directed by Ron Binas, both accomplishments were played.

The program also showed the putong, faculty members of the DHUM. a traditional welcome act, in which the honoree is presented with a salakot, a Philippine native hat. The UPLB Sandayaw danced around Pascual as he was given the salakot.

A representative from UPRHS Glee Club and Prof. Aleli Domingo, CAS Officer-In-Charge, gave special messages for him.

In his response, Pascual UPLB talent regales President Pascual in a pre-investiture concert.

Photo bcourtesy of UPLB-OPR

Most of these UPLB colleges and schools have been named centers of excellence or centers of development by the Commission on Higher Education. UPLB, Velasco pointed out, has of late moved from the “chalk and board” instruction to one that is learner-centered, or from information sharing to information processing.

He said that the shift would require an academic unit that will address teaching concerns, noting that a School of Didactics would have a rightful place in UPLB. He further said that a proposal for the creation of such a unit has already been submitted to the UP System.

Velasco added that a School of Didactics will focus on developing a scientific body of knowledge and best practices in teaching that is based on a discoverybased curriculum. In this, the power of ICT can be tapped—to allow class interactions beyond class hours through facilitated virtual group discussions as well as interactions with willing professors from overseas universities who may be invited to handle classes. He said that there are many UPLB alumni who are now with several respectable universities overseas whom UPLB can access to enrich and internationalize its academic programs.

Ve l a s c o o f f e r e d a solution to increasing the research output and patentable technologies in order to maintain the status of being a research university. He said that in many top universities, the volume of research output and patentable technologies is from graduate students.

“UPLB should explore how this is done,” he added, saying that str uctured courses could give way to Former UPLB Chancellor Velasco delivers the centennial more independent research projects. lecture.

Noting the suggestions offered by the centennial fellows and the professorial chair holders, Velasco said that UPLB should continue to be the regional leader and expert in tropical agriculture and forestry in Asia and use this as a platform to (Continued from page 1) engage in emerging allied disciplines. UPLB alleged distribution of Mac computers should strengthen its transdisciplinary to deans and iPads to vice-chancellors, scientific approach to research and problem as well as issues on missing funds, solving as well. the investment of trust and revolving “Hence, a strong emphasis should funds in the Development Bank of be made to have global leadership and the Philippines (DBP) and the alleged expertise in natural resource management, reprogramming and misuse of trust rural development and governance in one funds. “The administrators must serve hand; and, ICT and knowledge management as examples of financial transparency.” on the other hand. These growth points for She also challenged Cr uz to UPLB should be however balanced with a acknowledge the “UPLB Agenda fine appreciation of arts and humanities,” List of General Demands,” an 18Velasco said. page document prepared by UPLB, He said that UPLB has begun to Samahan ng Kabataan Para sa Bayan configure programs along interdisciplinary and the All-UP Workers Alliance; themes, conducting several discussions. appoint a pro-people and pro-student UPLB also funded the activities of groups Dean of Students; and practice that he had handled to work on these democratic consultation. interdisciplinary themes. He encouraged Regina Decangchon of the UPM those concerned to continue the discussion University Student Council said, “We in order to clarify and distill ideas and congratulate Dr. Agulto as the next develop a work plan.

UPM chancellor but we remain firm Velasco said that UPLB’s research in our stand against commercialization outputs—technologies, knowledge and which has been clear from the very start: protocols—will provide the uniqueness that the PAASCU accreditation and the and substance to UPLB’s public service. construction of Faculty Medical Arts He said that public service must go beyond Building within the country’s leading validating data or testing prototypes and hospital, PGH, contradict the thrust must empower people and improve their of UP Manila’s as the health science lives. However, this should not mean that center that serves the people.” public service is dole-out and should not

Outgoing UP Los Baños (UPLB) Chancellor Luis Rey Velasco contributed to the ongoing discussion on where UPLB should strategically position itself in the next century in a lecture he delivered last September 29 at the SEARCA Auditorium in UPLB. His lecture was the 9th and the last among the lectures under the UPLB Centennial Lecture Series.

His lecture “Visions and Pathways of Change: The UPLB of the Future,” summed up the points raised by the previous eight speakers. Velasco also consolidated relevant information from the report of the UPLB External Program Evaluation and Management Review that conducted an evaluation and management review of UPLB in 2009, as well as from professorial chair lectures under the UPLB Centennial Professorial Chairs and Grants.

He said the academic programs of UPLB both in its traditional areas of strength and in areas that it has pioneered, have been well-received by local and international academic institutions. He offered as proof of this acceptance, the fact that similar academic programs have been offered by other schools in the country and in some ASEAN countries.

IILS, PCICC celebrate PHL ratification of Int’l Criminal Court (Continued from page 11) Roque also spoke about “prospective or retroactive effect” of the ICC in cases of ong oing crimes such as enforced disappearances. Santiago has a bill criminalizing it, but it still does not constitute a crime under ICC jurisdiction.

Roque added that the ICC still has to answer the question of immunity from suit of a sovereign and of sovereign acts.

Roque endorsed Defensor-Santiago to be ICC judge, which he said would constitute a major contribution of the country to international criminal justice.

Rosales echoed Defensor-Santiago’s call for a commission of experts to identify potential problem areas, such as operationalizing complementarity, and propose solutions. Being a state party, she said, demands that all legal personnel be reeducated. The country more than ever has responsibility to achieve a competent national criminal justice system. The Philippines now has the duty to cooperate with ICC in terms of investigations, protection of witnesses, serving warrants of arrest, and contributing to finances of the court.

The Philippines, however, can learn from the experience of the other state parties. “We can now attend and participate in the meetings of the assembly. We can be part of the process to nominate and select judges of the ICC,” Rosales said.

She said the ICC addresses directly the problem of impunity, is a deterrent against commission of crimes, and “helps us attain peace based on justice.” The Philippines is no longer a safe haven of perpetrators of international crime, she added.

ERRATUM The article “UP scientists assess effect of 2006 oil spill” contributed

by Lyncen Fernandez of UP Visayas which appeared in the November 2011 issue of the UP Newsletter mistakenly identified Prof. Lemnuel Aragones as faculty member of the Marine Science Institute at UP Diliman instead of the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology also at UP Diliman. We apologize for the error.

november 2011

U.P. Newsletter 9

Filipino Deaf assert own culture, language Celeste Llaneta

Members of the Filipino Deaf community corrected common misconceptions about their culture, language and community in a forum last October 1.

First, there is said to be a difference between the words “deaf ” with a small D and “Deaf ” with a big D, and members of the Deaf community prefer to be called “Deaf.”

Second, the labels “deaf-mute”, “deafand-dumb”, “pipi” or “hearing-impaired” (implying that there is a medical problem that must be corrected) are not acceptable

to members of the Deaf community.

Third, sign language is not a mere system of gestures but a fully developed, completely visual language, with its own grammatical rules and aesthetics, as rich as any spoken language.

Four th, signing Exact English (translating spoken English directly into Sign Language) is an artificial sign system based on the English language, while American Sign Language (ASL) and Filipino Sign Language (FSL) are natural sign languages independent of spoken

Photo by Jo. Florendo Lontoc

language.

Fifth, sign languages differ from country to country, just as spoken languages do, and Filipino Sign Language and American Sign Language are distinct from each other as Japanese Sign Language, Vietnamese Sign Language, British Sign Language and so on.

These and other issues confronting the Filipino Deaf community were raised during the 3rd Deaf Education Weekend Seminar titled “Breaking the Silence: Understanding Deaf Culture and Filipino Sign Language at the Benitez Theater, College of Education, UP Diliman.

In her opening remarks, UP College of Education Dean Dina Ocampo stressed the need to “understand our Deaf students to make sure our programs are responsive to their needs.”

Speakers during the seminar were

UP Department of Anthropology Prof.

Nestor Castro, Philippine Federation of the Deaf (PFD) President Rey Alfred Lee, PFD Secretary-General George Lintag, PFD Youth Section member Rowella Tanjusay, PFD sign linguist Yvette Bernardo, Philippine Deaf Resource Center Prof. Liza Martinez, UP College of Education Prof. Marie Therese Bustos and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Center for Education Access for the Deaf ’s Raphael Domingo.

At the conclusion of the seminar, the audience was treated to a video presentation of National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios, translated into and performed in FSL, created by filmmaker Mirana Medina.

The seminar was organized by the UP College of Education EDSP 129 Class, in partnership with the Philippine Deaf Resource Center and PFD.

Statement of concern of the UP Department of Anthropology on the medium of instruction for Deaf education

A predominantly Deaf audience from different Deaf institutions fills Benitez Auditorium and participates in the forum through sign language. Interpreters are provided throughout the forum for both Deaf and hearing resource persons.

What reproductive health bills went through

Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc

advocacy to protect RH services. She said that despite the non-passage of the bills, the 16-year legislative advocacy has resulted in the opening of minds as evidenced by results of a Social Weather Station survey for the second quarter of this year. According to the survey, 82 percent now say family planning (FP) is a personal choice, 73 percent now want information on legal methods from government, 68 percent say government should fund both artificial and natural FP, and 46 percent disagree that the youth would be promiscuous if FP is included in sexuality education.

The advocates also learned the value to the RH advocacy of combining struggles, which does not preclude coalitional politics and considers the power bases for oppression; of sincere education; and of scientific research, databases, and analyses.

Lisondra gave statistics which prompt the youth to get involved in RH advocacy. Data reveals that many of the youth practice sex, get pregnant, get sexually transmitted disease, and remain uneducated about sex and sexuality.

Prof. Carolyn Sobritchea, of the UP Asian Center and former UCWS director, closed the forum with reminiscences of when she and her colleagues presented the first scientific data on maternal health in support of the RH bill and reminded the public that, having gone to the interpellation stage in Congress, the RH bill is now closest to being passed.

The advocates should therefore grab this opportunity to give it one last push.

Earlier in her welcome remarks, CSWCD Dean Rosalinda Ofreneo pointed out that the college and its students have been very active in the last 16 years in the campaign for the passage of the RH bill.

“Educational policies should take full account of individual differences and situations. The importance of sign language as the medium of communication among the deaf, for example, should be recognized and provision made to ensure that all deaf persons have access to education in their national sign language (italics added).”

M o r e ove r, t h i s r e c e n t D e p E d pronouncement runs counter to the Department’s own efforts to encourage education based on one’s mother tongue, as contained in DepEd Order No. 74, series of 2009. FSL is the mother tongue of Deaf Filipinos and should thus be used as the official medium of instruction for the country’s schools for the Deaf.

(Approve d d u r i n g t h e Re g u l a r Faculty Meeting of the Department of Anthropology, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, September 5, 2011) Signed: Nestor T. Castro, PhD (Chair)

Outgoing UPLB chancellor consolidates Centennial Lectures (Continued from page 8)

also usurp the role of service-delivery agencies.

On governance of the university, Velasco talked about building on successful initiatives of former administrations and the importance of collegiality. He cited as an example the Council of Deans in UPLB, a mechanism that has been an effective platform for collegial and consultative

decision making. UPLB must be steered under a governance environment that harmonizes administrative and academic concerns, and which includes resource mobilization as top agenda. He said that putting visions into action requires leadership, teamwork and resources, and more importantly the support from the UP System including the Board of Regents.

Photo by Misael Bacani

The Reproductive Health (RH) bills had to be “killed” on first reading for three consecutive Congresses before getting “killed” again on second reading in the 14th Congress. In the current 15th Congress, the RH bill has finally reached the stage of interpellation.

The arduous journey of RH advocates to have an RH bill passed in the Philippines was narrated in the forum “Voices and Choices in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights” organized by the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University at The Hague, UP Center for Women’s Studies (UCWS) and Psychosocial Support and Children’s Rights Resource Center for an international refresher course “Gender and Generation in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: The New Agenda of Population and Development Research and Policy Making.”

Held last October 25 at the College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD) in UP Diliman, the forum featured presentations by Prof.

Elizabeth Pangalangan, director of the UP Law Center Institute of Human Rights; Dr. Sylvia Estrada Claudio, director of UCWS; and Lady Lisondra, assistant youth coordinator of the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines.

According to Pangalangan, the first RH bill was filed in the 11th Congress.

It was during the 14th Congress when it reached second reading and a counterpart bill was filed in the Senate. The 15th Congress is considered by the RH bill supporters as landmark for bringing the bill to the plenary. Rep. Edcel Lagman and Senators Miriam Defensor Santiago and Pia Cayetano are the proponents of the bills this Congress.

Claudio stressed the need for legislative

It has come to our attention that the Department of Education (DepEd) has publicly announced that Signing Exact English (SEE) will be the official sign language to be used for Deaf Education and for training instructors in Special Education. We are alarmed with this development because SEE is not the native language of deaf persons in the Philippines.

SEE is an artificial language that has been developed by hearing persons to help the Deaf learn spoken and written English.

The Filipino Deaf have their own natural language, namely Filipino Sign Language (FSL). This unique language is the basis of Filipino Deaf culture and identity. It is a basic right of all citizens, including the Deaf community, to be taught and educated in their native language.

The new DepEd move violates the provisions of the Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education, Policy and Organization (1994) that:

Dr. Estrada-Claudio answers a question during the open forum while Prof. Pangalangan and Lisondra listen.

10 U.P. Newsletter

november 2011

`Globalization more high-speed and imperialistic’ –Agabin ‘Hacienda Luisita is Arbeen Acuña a symbol of a colonial I s t h e f u t u r e b l e a k d u e t o Globalization” at the Malcolm Theater of said, are between nations and transnational and multinational companies. He explained the UP Diliman College of Law. past’ –Lynch globalization?

He said that, as acknowledged by historians, the constitution of the US Is there a relationship between purposely gives in to the two pillars of colonialism and Hacienda Luisita? capitalism: the sanctity of property and the Prof. Owen J. Lynch thinks so. In his liberty of contract. lecture last September 22 at the Malcolm During the period of US colonialism, Theater of the UP College of Law, Lynch William Howard Taft, Agabin added, did said that in the Philippines, there is no not trust Filipino judges, so he appointed political will to implement the land-to-themore American judges than Filipino judges. tiller approach in agrarian reform as there Almost all trial judges then “consciously are many landowners in Congress who have or unconsciously infused common law a vested interest in principles the status quo. into the Lynch delivered jurisprudence.” the 6 th UP LAW He said that Centennial Lecture “the American titled “Colonial bar association Legacies in a spearheaded Fragile Republic: the acceptance A History of the of free Philippine Land enterprise L aw a n d S t a t e philosophy Formation.” He is in American the only foreigner law.” to deliver a UP He also said Law centennial that “capitalism lecture. is no longer I n h i s the fair introduction, market” since former Law Dean “globalization Mar vic Leonen is more high d e s c r i b e d t h e Profs. Agabin and Lynch deliver their respective centennial lectures at Malcolm Hall. speed and speaker as both a succumb to colonialism. imperialistic” scholar who holds a Master of Laws and In explaining that the country should and “the ideology of globalization and Doctor of Laws degrees with honors be referred to as “Inang Bayan” instead common law is somewhat parallel.” He from Yale University and an advocate who of “Inang Pilipinas,” Lynch said that the discussed how the International Monetary volunteered for the Peace Corps. former sounds more progressive than the Fund-World bank (IMF-WB) and other Leonen said that Lynch, his mentor, was latter. As regards the indigenous peoples, he creditor institutions discourage subsidies controversial with pronouncements that the said that those who resisted colonial powers and impose “conditionalities” to borrowers country should not be called ‘Philippines’ are dubbed as “ethnic minorities.” He said such as the Philippines—as loan agreements but ‘Inang Bayan,’ that we are all indigenous, that “those who resisted should be admired are not bilateral anymore. Agreements, he and that denial of our ethnicity is a way to rather than be considered uncivilized.”

Arbeen Acuna

In a lecture last October 7, Prof. Pacifico Agabin, former dean of the UP College of Law, said that “law is a reflection of power,” and that under Pax Americana, “it is not surprising that the last century was the century of the common law,” because common law has an affinity with capitalism.

Agabin spoke at the 7 th UP Law Centennial Lecture titled “The Common Law’s Century: The Age of Capitalism and

Photos by Bong Arboleda

Aquino admin tends to undermine local governance – Law prof

that “the welfare state can be dismantled by globalization” since the “judiciary has no choice but to pass laws by congress” and these laws are monitored by “international police” like the IMF-WB, World Trade Organization and International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

He cited the case of NAIA Terminal 3, in which the ICC, through arbitration laws, invalidated the Philippine Supreme Court’s decision that found the “anomalous” contract of Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc. “null and void.” He said, “Big economic giants can easily escape the sovereignty of the state.”

He discussed the “problems of globalization for the third world” by George Soros, citing uneven distribution of wealth, instability of financial system, global monopolies and oligopolies and ambiguous role of the state, among others.

Depressing figures are given such as the wealth of the three richest people in the world combined is greater than the GNP of 48 poor countries and that of the 32 richest people’s wealth is greater than the wealth of the countries in south Asia.

Agabin said, “We were granted only political independence,” and added that since we are devastated after world war, we “had to depend economically to Mother America.” He said that we have to find ways to “override economic power” and “redefine law and justice” to “include social justice.”

In the Philippines alone, the upper 10 percent of the population is 24 times richer than the lower 10 percent. According to IMF, our country is among those countries with the most unequal distribution of resources as the upper 10 percent consumes 10 times more food, 18 times more clothing, 14 times more housing and 11 times more fuel than the lower 10 percent.

Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc

Photo by Misael Bacani

Committee recommended the filing of charges against Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Rico Puno and Philippine National Police Chief Jesus Verzosa. Aquino absolved Puno and Verzosa and reduced criminal charges recommended against Lim to administrative charges.

Gatmaytan said that one purpose of the Local Government Code is to hold local officials accountable.

He added that on November 9, 2010, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo directed the government of South Cotabato to review its environmental code and ordered Prof. Gatmaytan chooses three events in the Aquino administration as key indicators of this administration’s it to suspend an ordinance against regard of the Local Government Code; as Prof. Brillantes listens. open-pit mining, saying it was Is the Aquino administration ignoring Committee on Local Government under unconstitutional. According to the Local Government Code? his chairmanship, Gatmaytan said that Gatmaytan, Robredo exercised control over According to Prof. Dante Gatmaytan Aquino is not likely to strengthen the local officials instead of mere supervision. of the UP College of law, the Aquino code and its implementation during his He also usurped judicial function in administration’s handling of the August presidency. declaring something unconstitutional, 23, 2010 Luneta hostage crisis, open-pit G a t m ay t a n s p o ke d u r i n g t h e Gatmaytan said. mining in South Cotabato and elections forum “Rationalized Inability: The Although recently upheld by the in the Autonomous Region in Muslim President’s Hand in the Untouched Local Supreme Court, the postponement of Mindanao (ARMM) contradicts President Government Code” last September 29 at elections and Malacañang appointment of Benigno Aquino’s election promise to Pulungang Claro M. Recto, UP Diliman officers-in-charge (OICs) at ARMM are respect the Local Government Code After the August 23, 2010 hostage- seen as moves to undermine the region’s and local autonomy. Based on the taking of a busload of tourists in Luneta, autonomy. “insignificant” performance of the Senate an Incident Investigation and Review

Gatmaytan’s lecture titled “The President’s Predilections: Policy Indexes in the Local Government Theater” followed that of UP National College of Public Administration and Governance’s (NCPAG) former Dean Alex Brillantes Jr. who analyzed the Local Government Code’s accomplishments and the challenges and needed reforms.

Despite some improvements in governance brought about by the 20year-old code, Brillantes stressed the need for a framework for local government reform. He said that the status quo is not an option.

Brillantes said that there is still a lot to improve in the law in terms of specific processes, mindsets, leadership, political will and citizen engagement, among others. For example, he said that the local government’s share in the budget is deemed generally insufficient, adding that its capacity to deal with the national government is weak. Local government, Brillantes said, also has unclear and inadequate corporate and taxing powers.

Both speakers agreed that local g ove r n m e n t s a r e f r o n t l i n e r s i n development and local governance must be strengthened.

The Local Government Code turned 20 years old last October 10. According to the UP Third World Studies Center (TWSC), “the code started as one of the (Continued on page 11)

november 2011

U.P. Newsletter 11

IILS, PCICC celebrate PHL ratification of Int’l Criminal Court Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc

commander in chief is held liable if he or she knew or should have known that crimes were to be committed.

The center of Santiago’s speech was the Philippine contributions to international criminal justice. Foremost among them is the country’s pioneering of the “doctrine of incorporation” or our direct application of international law in local cases. According to the constitution, international laws and covenants the Philippines is signatory to are already deemed part of the laws of the land. This principle has been applied in cases such as Corona vs Jalandoni (1941).

The Philippines has also pioneered in criminalizing violations of international human rights laws through national laws such as the 1997 Indigenous Peoples Rights Act, the 2004 Anti-violence Against Women and their Children Act, the 2009 Act on Crimes against Humanity, and the

Andre Encarnacion

An international health expert said that children are now getting poorer.

Prof. Hans Rosling gave a glimpse of the past and future composition of the world’s health and fertility using Gapminder’s Trendalyzer software, which allowed him to present statistical information through animated graphs and charts.

Rosling, founder of the Gapminder Foundation, gave a lecture titled “Population and Economic Growth” last September 16 at the auditorium of the School of Economics in UP Diliman.

He revealed an alarming trend through a chart of the world’s population by age.

He said that the number of children in the world, from being the most populous segment in the 1950s, has suddenly stopped growing. “How come the number of

Prof. Rosling stresses a point.

(Continued from page 12)

The second half of the UAAP Season will be underway this month. The remaining events are athletics, baseball, chess, fencing, football, softball, tennis and volleyball.

According to the UP Diliman (UPD) Varsity Sports Office at the College of Human Kinetics, they have yet to receive word from season host ADMU on the conduct of the streetdance competition this year. It can be remembered that the streetdance competition was first held last season as an exhibition event. UP placed second then.

Defending their titles this year are the men’s fencing and football teams and hoping to top their bronze medals from last season are the men’s volleyball and women’s tennis teams. Looking to go beyond the semifinals are last year’s fourth place finishers, the men’s and women’s chess teams, softball team and the men’s tennis team.

execution in the country over prosecution of international crimes is still vague.

In conclusion, Santiago asked that, for one, a commission of experts on Philippine law under the Rome Statute be formed. Thus, the UP Law Center, IILS, and PCICC must continue their efforts to end the culture of impunity.

In his reaction, Roque said that the country is now witnessing a possible violation of international humanitarian law. The killing of 19 soldiers in Basilan, three of whom were killed in captivity, could fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC. Roque was skeptic that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front would be prosecuted in the light of the peace talks. To depoliticize the issue, the case can be submitted to ICC, while the parties continue to talk peace, Roque said and was seconded by (Continued on page 8) Pangalangan.

Children now poorer – int’l health expert

UAAP 74 mid-season: UP in 5th place Upcoming events

2011 case of Bayanmuna vs Romulo.

She took exception to the last, however, as being erroneous in declaring that “the ICC is not declaratory of customary international criminal law.” DefensorSantiago said that the Rome Statute is in part customary international law.

The senator stressed there was much to be done for the implementation of the Rome Statute in the country. It includes repealing a law that transfers jurisdiction of an international crime to an international court. She also said that while the ICC places premium on the sovereignty of the state in line with it being the court of last resort, it is the one to determine jurisdiction over a case.

“Is the statute self-executory in our country?” she asked. While local jurisprudence supports the application of international law locally, the statute’s self-

children in the world stops...when we have so many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, in Afghanistan, in some other places and the poorest part of the Philippines where there are five to six children per woman?

It is because there are billions of people in Asia and Europe together with less than two children per woman... So they compensated.”

He added that “the number of children in the world is the same, but the children are moving into poverty. The world’s two-billion children are getting poorer and poorer every year.” This was because those who were better off were having less children while those in poverty were generally still having more.

Rosling calculated that by the year 2060, those above 60-years old would be the largest growing agegroup in the world.

“This means you can’t stop population growth now,” he said.

He predicted that the Philippines would soon become one of the world’s most populous countries and would bypass Japan by the year 2024.

To k e e p t h e same proportion of educated Filipinos, Ro s l i n g s a i d t h a t the country would have to increase its universities by 30 percent over the next decade.

From reviewing statistics of life expectancy and wealth from the year 1800, Rosling also showed that the trend where economies became wealthy first before they Photo by Bong Arboleda

To celebrate the Philippine ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its coming into force on November 1, the Institute of International Legal Studies (IILS) of the UP Law Center and the Philippine Coalition for the ICC (PCICC) held a forum analyzing Philippine contributions to international criminal justice.

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago gave the keynote address.

The IILS and the PCICC have been at the forefront of pushing for the ratification of the statute by the Philippines.

Held last October 21 at Malcolm Theater in UP Diliman, the forum “Advancing Philippine Contributions to International Criminal Justice” was moderated by UP College of Law Prof. Raul Pangalangan and also featured reactions of Prof. Harry Roque of the IILS and Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chair Loretta Ann Rosales.

According to Pangalangan, who cochairs the PCICC, the Philippine ratification of the statute came after a decade of reaching out to various government agencies which initially expressed hesitation and skepticism in helping ratify the statute.

He thanked Rosales for the painstaking groundwork, PCICC national coordinator Rebecca Lozada for reaching out to police and military, and Roque et al. for the legal work to compel Malacañang to endorse the statute to the Senate. The Philippines is the 117th country to ratify the statute. Maldives was the last at 118th.

He also cited “lucky breaks” such as the election of Benigno Aquino III who is deemed more sympathetic to the ICC cause, the visit of the ICC head in the Philippines, the appointment of Rosales to the CHR; and the support of Senator Defensor-Santiago.

Santiago, judicial candidate to the ICC endorsed by President Aquino and ASEAN nominee for the ICC in 2008, explained the basic principles of the ICC. These are: The ICC is a court of last resort; that is, it only steps in when national governments are not able or are unwilling to try the crimes.

The crimes falling under ICC jurisdiction are genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression. Persons are the ones held liable and not states, and they should hold the highest positions in government. The principle of command responsibility is applied in the case of the military, in which case, the president or the

Working hard to redeem themselves in Season 74 are teams that finished in bottom half last year. The women’s fencing and football teams as well as the baseball team all finished fifth last season. The men’s and women’s athletics teams ended up in sixth and the women’s volleyball team finished seventh in Season 73.

UP has often ended the UAAP season in the overall top three. In Seasons 69 and 70 it was number two and was third last year and in Season 71. In Season 72, however, it ended up at fifth place in the overall ranking.

UP hopes to inch its way up the overall tally in the second semester as there are still eight regular events, excluding the streetdance competition—the future of which is still uncertain as of this writing.

Those interested in the UAAP schedule of events may contact the UPD Varsity Sports Office at 924-1893.

became healthy has now reversed, with the Philippines and its Asian neighbors being examples of this.

Rosling g ave a glimpse of the development of countries since the 1800s and well into the future from a variety of perspectives, among them gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and fertility.

He questioned the West’s penchant for dividing the world into a dichotomy of ‘developing’ and ‘developed’ (Western) which he said is found in the United Nation’s 2010 Regional Classification.

In the categ or y of ‘Developing Countries,’ Rosling found countries such as Singapore, Qatar and South Korea.

He wondered how Singapore (which he considers the world’s healthiest country with the lowest child mortality), Qatar (which was the wealthiest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita) and South Korea (which was the fastest developing medium-sized country) could be classified as developing.

Meanwhile, Rosling said that countries with bigger economic problems such as Albania and Romania were classified by the UN under ‘developed countries’.

Arranging the world in terms of total fertility and life expectancy produced a similar ambiguity between so-called developed and developing nations. Cases of low fertility appeared in many traditionally religious countries, leading Rosling to conclude that religion was not the issue. “It is the special social-cultural-political context in how it is organized in one country during a certain decade that may influence it… The bedroom is a much stronger force.”

Rosling said that the “world is run from the bedroom: a young man and woman who decide to work hard for their children – that is the strength of the world.”

Aquino admin tends to undermine local (Continued from page 10) governance – Law prof achievements of [Aquino’s] mother’s presidency. But in his administration, the code may end up… a tradable political commodity… And as the administration pursues its peace agenda, most visible in its negotiation with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the limits of the code will be further exposed to the pawing, clawing, biting horde of opportunists and provincial potentates.” TWSC also noted that Aquino does not mention local governance in his State of the Nation addresses.

This was the fourth forum organized

by TWSC under the series “The BS Aquino Administration: Possible Perversities, Perverted Possibilities,” which seeks to assess performance in different areas of governance.

The forum series is sponsored by the Office of the Vice-President for Public Affairs, Philippine Political Science Association and College of Arts and Letters Office of the Dean.

Footage of the public forum series is uploaded at http://uptwsc.blogspot.com.

12 U.P. Newsletter

november 2011

UP Pep Squad prepares for world championship in HK Photo by Jun Madrid

UAAP 74 mid-season: UP in 5th place

12 U.P. Newsletter

november 2011

Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo

With seven events completed and halfway through the 74th season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), UP is in fifth place with 105 points in the overall ranking.

The University of Santo Tomas is on top with 151 points, followed by De La Salle University with 139, Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) with 117 and Far Eastern University with 111.

In sixth place is the University of the East with 72 points. In the seventh and eighth spots are Adamson University with 56 and National University with 34, respectively.

Swimming

The UP Varsity Swim Team has been consistently doing well in the UAAP since the 69th season (2006-2007), with the women’s team edging out the men’s team twice—during the 72nd season and this season. Both times the men’s team finished the tournament at fourth place.

Since 2006, the women’s team has always finished in the top three: a third place finish in Season 70, copping the silver in Seasons 69 and 71, and grabbing the gold consecutively in the next three seasons. The male tankers, on the other hand, were the champions in Seasons 69 and 70. It bagged the bronze in Season 71, but unfortunately dropped to fourth place the next year. The men’s team made a strong comeback in Season 73 and reclaimed the top spot. They failed to make it to the top three this season, but managed to land in fourth.

Table Tennis

The women’s table tennis team brought home the gold this season, but its journey to the top has not been easy. The three consecutive bronze medal hauls from Seasons 69 to 71 came to an abrupt halt the succeeding year when it dropped to fifth place. Last season, the team managed to climb up a notch. This year, it emerged on top.

The men’s team on the other hand, placed third three times since 2006. It finished fourth in 2007 and in 2010. The team was unable to get over last year’s rank and dropped one slot lower, ending this season at fifth.

UP Pep Squad members and alumni pose for a group photo with UP officials during a post-victory dinner at the Executive House.

With their now familiar blonde hair and the hopes of a nation riding on their shoulders, the 2011 UAAP Cheerdance Champion UP Pep Squad is preparing for the 6th Cheerleading World Championships on November 26 and 27 in Hong Kong.

Coach Lalaine Pereña said that nothing has changed since their victory last September. “But we did get a lot of performance invitations.”

The added exposure and physical conditioning, she said, made the team better prepared. “They’re a lot stronger and more confident.”

The UP Pep Squad’s right to represent the country in this international competition held every two years was earned by winning the Philippine National Games Cheerdance Competition last May, topping the rankings in three categories. Only members of the Cheerleading Philippines Association are Judo

The lady judokas, since 2006, have always finished their UAAP season in the top three. They grabbed four consecutive championships from Seasons 69 to 72 and while it somehow slipped through their fingers last year and this year, they still ended strong with back-to-back silvers.

The men’s team, meanwhile, have been struggling to finish in the top three since last season, placing fourth two years in a row. The last time it managed to land in the top three was in Season 72, when it ended up at third place. In Season 71, they were

allowed to join the World Championships.

The nationwide success has not made the team members complacent. “We’re participating in four categories. That’s why mas maraming preparations, but nothing more special than what we normally do.

All year round naman kasi ang training ng Pep,” Pereña said.

The international competition presents a unique challenge to the squad. Different rules and criteria require the revision and improvement of their successful routines.

“The Cheer Mix category is only for 16 members, the UAAP is for 25. Hiwalay din ang Cheer Mix group (2.5 min) at Cheerdance (2.5 min) categories, unlike sa UAAP na magkasama yun,” Pereña said.

Judging criteria in the World Championship, according to Pereña, is also different from the UAAP scoring system.

She said that teams from Japan, Thailand, ranked fourth. Their last title was claimed in Season 70 after nabbing the silver in the previous season.

Taekwondo

The lady jins moved up to third at the end of this UAAP season, a notch higher than the previous two years. Snagging back-to-back silvers in Seasons 69 and 70, they ended up with the bronze in Season 71. After two years of almost making it to the top three, the lady jins have managed to kick out the competition to end this year with the bronze.

Two consecutive rankings at fifth place led the men’s team to work a little harder in Season 71, which pushed the jins to third. It has been bumpy ride for them since. They dropped to fourth in Season 72 and moved back up to third again last year. This season, they once again slid down to fourth.

Beach Volleyball

Buhay UP

Hindi alintana ang lugar o panahon, o kung anuman ang higaan, basta’t may pagkakataon, hihiga’t magpapahinga. Maaliwalas na pahingahan ang kampus ng UP para sa mga katulad ng lalaking ito sa Vinzons Tambayan, UP Diliman. Kuha ni Epifanio San Juan, Marso 2011.

This sport was introduced in Season 70 as an exhibition event and had no bearing, therefore, on the computation of points for the overall ranking. That year, UP placed last in both men’s and women’s divisions.

Due to the participation of all member universities, beach volleyball became an official sporting event in the UAAP in Season 71.

The male spikers have consistently showed up in the semifinals since then.

In the event’s first regular season, UP placed fourth. In Season 72, it bagged the bronze, but went down to fourth again in Season 73. The team remained rooted to that spot this year. The lady spikers, on the other hand, have yet to gain entry into the

Andre Encarnacion

Chinese Taipei and the United States are the “powerhouses” in the upcoming competition.

Because of the expenses required in training a championship team, Pereña said they need more donors. “We already received (donations) from several wonderful donors but we haven’t yet reached our required financial support. A lot of prayers and moral support would really be enough.

If they would like to help us out financially they can contact me anytime; any help would really be appreciated.”

An earlier project spearheaded by Profs.

Grace Gregorio and Eloi Hernandez called The Mat Project was an example of the UP community’s coming together in support of the squad. The Mat Project gave the UP Pep Squad 300 new training mats, costing P900 each, and opened the doors to many new partnerships for the team.

Pereña also asked for prayers from the team’s fans, especially regarding the safety of the squad members, and was very thankful that her 14 years with the squad have not resulted in a serious accident. “Some people think that it’s just entertainment,” she said. “But the truth is it’s a very dangerous sport and every night that we go home without any accidents or injuries, I get to sleep well.”

Pereña thanked the UP Pep Squad’s supporters for their undying support. “I feel so blessed to have these kids who do this sport with such love and passion. Win or lose, we want to represent our country well…we hope that our supporters will still be proud of us and will see that, win or lose, we did the best we could, and competed fairly.” semifinals. They finished last in Season 71, fifth in Season 72, and have been nailed to the seventh spot since Season 73.

Badminton The women’s team ended its UAAP 74 run at number five. It has been unable to go back to its consecutive top three placements in Seasons 69 and 70, when it placed third. It slid down three notches the next season at sixth but was able to bring it up to fourth in Season 72. Last season, it dropped to number five and was fixed to that spot this year.

The men’s team seems to struggle a bit more than its female counterpart. It finished this season at sixth place, a rung lower than last year’s fifth. In Season 72, the men’s team was at fourth, a step higher than the previous season’s fifth place finish.

In Seasons 69 and 70, it ended up at the fourth spot.

Basketball

The performance of the women’s team has dwindled since Season 72, when they ended up in fifth place at the end of the tournament. Last year, they ended up in sixth and this year, at seventh. Their last appearance in the finals was in Season 71, when they won the silver as in the previous season. In Season 69, the lady dribblers were able to enter the semifinals but finished the tournament at fourth place.

Since 2006, the highest rank achieved by the men’s team has been sixth place in Seasons 69 and 71. Last season, it was number seven. This year, like in Season 70, the team ended the tournament at the bottom rung.

(Continued on page 11)

U.P. Newsletter PROF. DANILO ARAÑA ARAO Editor-in-Chief jo. florendo b. lontoc Managing Editor PROF. LUIS TEODORO Editorial Consultant Arbeen Acuña, andre encarnacion, CEleste ann castillo llaneta, jo. florendo b. lontoc, KIM Quilinguing, Arlyn VCD P. Romualdo Writers Bong Arboleda, misael bacani, Jonathan Madrid Photographers Arbeen Acuña Layout obet eugenio Editorial Assistant Tom Maglaya Circulation The U.P. Newsletter is a monthly publication of the UP System Information Office, Office of the Vice-President for Public Affairs. We welcome contributions from the faculty, non-academic staff, REPS and students. Please send your contributions to: The Editor U.P. Newsletter Mezzanine Floor, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City 926-1572, 436-7537 e-mail: upnewsletter@up.edu.ph upsio@up.edu.ph