OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum July-September 2018 Vol. 19 No. 3 issue is now available online

FORUM UNIVERSIT Y OF THE PHILIPPINES

S h a p i n g m i n d s t h at s h a p e t h e n at i on

JULY-SEPTEMBER 2018

VOLUME 19 NO. 3

A Haven for Everyone Spaces for a Green Life of the Mind UP campuses granted large tracts of land make for ideal greenspaces, says Armin Sarthou, Architecture dean and former UP Vice President for Development, talking about physical places supportive of their occupants’ mental health and well-being.

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Creating Channels of Compassion In the advent of the passage of the Philippine Mental Health Law or Republic Act 11036, find out how UP’s biggest stakeholders are addressing the growing concerns on mental health and related issues inside the University.

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From Grief to Gratitude Emely Amoloza rose from the sorrow of losing her daughter, overwhelmed by the support her family received. She has since found a way to be that same generous spirit to others.

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Contents 1

Spaces for a Green Life of the Mind

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Creating Channels of Compassion

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From Grief to Gratitude

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Creating a Nurturing and Healthy Diliman through PsycServ

Cover photo: A brown shrike stations on a golden shower tree behind the School of Urban and Regional Planning, UP Diliman. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO. Back cover photo: One afternoon in Diliman.

Photo by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO.

The Psych O’clock Habit

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The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on Utak at Puso

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A Haven for Everyone

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All-UP Cares: Unions Are for Wellness

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The Cats and Dogs of UP Diliman

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We Are Family! 28

the UP Forum Abraham Q. Arboleda Misael A. Bacani Jonathan M. Madrid

Jose Y. Dalisay, Jr. Editor in Chief

Frances Fatima M. Cabana Art Director

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Flora B. Cabangis Managing Editor

Luis V. Teodoro Copy Editor

Stephanie S. Cabigao Celeste Ann L. Castillo Frederick E. Dabu Andre dP. Encarnacion Jo Florendo B. Lontoc Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo J. Mikhail G. Solitario

Peter Paul D. Vallejos

Photographers

Stephanie S. Cabigao

Alicia B. Abear Michael R. Basco Roberto G. Eugenio Tomas M. Maglaya Cristy M. Salvador

Layout Artist

Forum Online Website Administrator

Nena R. Barcebal Researcher

Writers

UP Media and Public Relations Office, University of the Philippines System • UP Diliman, Quezon City Trunkline (632) 981-8500 local 2550, 2552, 2549 | E-mail: upforum@up.edu.ph up.edu.ph The UP Forum

Administrative Staff

Spaces for a Green Life of the Mind Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc

urveying scientific literature, a 2017 article in the British Journal of Psychology spoke of the positive relationship between “greenspace” and mental health and wellbeing.

“Individuals have less mental distress, less anxiety and depression, greater well-being and healthier cortisol profiles when living in urban areas with more greenspace compared with less greenspace,” said the paper by two authors from the University of Essex.

“If you’re going to be looking at UP, it is an ideal place already, as far as I’m concerned,” Armin Sarthou, UP College of Architecture dean and former UP Vice President for Development, says, talking about institutions with physical features supportive of the occupants’ mental health and well-being.

“The past presidents have seen to that. It was the vision of previous administrations that made sure we have a green environment,” Sarthou points out. UP campuses were granted large tracts of land, which make them ideal greenspaces, he adds. Foremost among these are UP Diliman, UP Los Baños, UP Visayas, and UP Mindanao.

“There’s an architectural effect [in open spaces] that gives a feeling of expressiveness, freedom, etc., as opposed to cramped spaces,” Sarthou says.

“You have breathing space,” he continues. “That’s very, very important to the general well-being of the occupants.

Without breathing space, you feel hemmed in, and that probably contributes to that state of affairs [where psychosocial problems are on the rise].”

Greenspace also affords people “green exercise” or the use of natural environment for physical activity, which is also “psychologically restorative,” the paper in the British journal also says.

“You have the venue for physical exertion or exercise. So on the practical side, UP will give you that opportunity, to walk and to run, and so on,” adds Prof. Dolores Madrid of the same college as Sarthou.

Indeed, for many, UP is space in which to frolic, jog, fly a Frisbee, walk the morning, afternoon, or night, and where one can run around on the grass.

And to meditate, says Sarthou, like in the Sunken Garden of UP Diliman. Or take a nap under a tree.

UP is thus the classic greenspace, associated with mental health and well-being of urbanites. page 3

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Grass growing freely behind the Institute of Math building, National Science Complex, UP Diliman. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO.

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Old photo of UP Baguio, showing greenery integral to a healthy life on campus. Photo from UP MPRO files.

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More than just greenspace

For Dr. Portia Grace Fernandez-Marcelo of the UP College of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, the color green is integral to the concept of home. It is a familiar color. “It is what should be and is seen typically.” Being naturally occurring in plants and trees, the color soothes humankind. “We are used to it,” Marcelo says. “Scientifically, it has a broad band in the visible light spectrum, thus we see this all the time, and familiarity gives comfort.”

Braving two to four hours of traffic every day, FernandezMarcelo returns from work in congested Manila to the greenery of UP Diliman, and immediately feels refreshed.

She echoes the feeling of other UP Manila colleagues who have chosen UP Diliman as their residence.

The concept of home is also affirmed by the architects Sarthou and Madrid as essential in making spaces nurture mental health and well-being. This is especially true for students who are dragged away from home to be able to study in college.

“It’s not merely how a space is used but it is also the meaning of the space to a person,” Madrid emphasizes. Sarthou says that this is exactly the point behind the current UP Diliman administration’s thrust for pride of place. “The Chancellor wants to give UP students, faculty, staff, and anybody who has to do with UP a sense of belongingness and a sense of ownership: It’s home for you.”

What exactly is home in psycho-physiological terms?

“Home, tahanan, with its root word tahan: [when you feel] comfort, safe, secure. It means stress neurotransmitters are not in excess; the mind and body are in a quiescent and relaxed state; stress hormones and neurotransmitters are held at bay,” Marcelo explains.

That is why UP’s greenspace would not provide its supposed emotional benefits if it fails to be part of “home”—

that is, if it is uncontrolled, says Sarthou, or does not feel safe and secure.

“Walking from Ylanan to your office at NISMED, there are trees, shade, and breeze, and [across the Lagoon], no vehicles to watch out for. There’s comfort and safety,” Dolores says.

“But you have to remember that it was also on that route, in the 1980s, where somebody was raped and killed.”

By the same token, UP Manila and the other smaller campuses, despite the lack of open spaces, still feel like home precisely because of the proximity of the occupants to each other and the security afforded by the smaller, fenced-in areas.

Yet many of UP constituents in the city centers yearn for open spaces and end up, like Dr. Fernandez-Marcelo and her family, braving the traffic and the long commute, taking refuge, making a home amongst the green open spaces of the more rustic campuses.

UP campuses with more than adequate hectarage continue to provide such a refuge, keeping greenery that is welcoming and not alienating, being natural and almost raw, manicured just enough to maintain visibility in the undergrowth while not telling people to keep off the grass, Sarthou and Madrid maintain.

And neither have the smaller campuses—already using their smallness to their advantage in keeping the community close and familiar—given up on greenspace. Based on recent reports, UP Manila is building vertically to afford itself more open spaces with greenery; UP Baguio maintains its pine trees, fills available space with expressionistic art, and maximizes the rolling terrain to keep people walking and climbing; and UP Cebu is still home to several towering age-old trees and open greens despite its new and rising structures.

With the lush harbinger of mental health and well-being, many people in UP are glad the green is still there, when many in the world are losing it.∎

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Causality between greenspace and mental health and well-being has not been established in scientific literature, warns the BJP paper. But there are theories.

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ith the passage of the Philippine Mental Health Law or Republic Act 11036, the focus on mental health and related services has intensified.

Signed last June 21, 2018, the law aims to integrate mental health care in the country’s existing systems.

With institutional pathways already set within the University on matters concerning mental health, what are its biggest stakeholders initiating at their end?

Creating Channels of Compassion J. Mikhail Solitario

Dogs visited and gave law students a much-needed break during UP LSG’s “Are You Having A Ruff Time?”

Photo courtesy of UP LSG.

Coping through an organization

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For COPE UP’s founder Dhan De Leon, it all started when he battled depression four years ago and he had to take a leave of absence from school. When he came back, he took a counseling elective from the College of Education and met Professor Lorelei Vinluan.

Currently, the organization has about 80 active members from an initial 23 spread across different colleges such as Business Administration (CBA), Science, Engineering, and Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) whose members are Psychology majors.

“She was very vocal about helping students and counseling them,” recalls Dhan. Armed with a robust support system of family and friends, De Leon pledged to do something to help address the rising incidents of mental health issues in the University. What was initially envisioned as a support group system evolved into COPE UP, a university-wide organization “raising mental health awareness and providing a sound environment for individuals experiencing mental health disorders, problems, and other mental health-related challenges inside and outside the University,” according to its Facebook page.

In its founding year, COPE UP was able to conduct five mental health modules with topics including stress management and child psychology.

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The organization also held workshops for its members through partnerships with Neuro-Linguistic Programming Manila and the University Student Council, where COPE UP assisted in the drafting of a mental health awareness module for Diliman organizations, sororities, and fraternities. In the near future, the organization plans to strengthen its internal dynamics by tapping professionals to facilitate trainings on peer counseling.

Leadership through service

In the School of Economics (SE), the student council provided simple services such as free bubble wrap and stress balls, free food, and a day when they could pet dogs on campus. A campaign was also launched called “Diwa,” which allowed students to undergo free consultation sessions with psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors.

“Diwa” was particularly challenging, according to SE Student Council Chair Josh Quimbo, because they had to ensure that the students’ identities would not be exposed.

Former Engineering Student Council (ESC) Public Relations Councilor Jason Fernandez talked about #SpeakOut, a mental health awareness campaign that kicked off with the ESC joining the Youth for Mental Health Coalition, and continued with a signboard campaign to push for a mental health law and a department caravan to hold mental health seminars in the college. The ESC also released a video series with #SpeakOut ambassadors expressing their sentiments about various mental health issues.

In the case of Malcolm Hall, the Law Student Government (LSG) formed its own Mental Health Committee and celebrated “Kalinaw,” a series of events dedicated to increasing awareness and breaking the stigma attached to mental health disorders. Headlining the week was the forum called “Bar Blues: A Talk on Spotting Depression and Anxiety, and Living With Them” and “Are You Having A Ruff Time?”, which brought therapy dogs from CARA Welfare Society to the halls of Malcolm. A primer and blog were also launched, along with a freedom wall during the week, and free film viewings for one day. LSG President Chris Alquizalas says that the LSG was glad to have found a number of willing volunteers to help make the events a success. In the end, the goal is clear: to have an environment that is open and receptive to mental health issues, and to work together with the proper institutions in finding real and concrete solutions to address these issues.

Alternate venues to find purpose All undergraduate students are required to take courses under the National Service Training Program (NSTP), which usually spans two semesters with a common module designed by the Diliman NSTP Office, which tackles leadership, citizenship, and volunteerism, and a second module particular to the college or unit administering the program.

There are currently three components under the NSTP: Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (military training), Civic Welfare Training Service (community work), and Literacy

Training Service (teaching). The common module serves as preparation for students before immersing in their target partner communities or institutions.

Programs under the NSTP vary across colleges, offering a wide array of volunteerism options for students. In the CSSP, for example, both the Departments of Linguistics and Philosophy offer teaching opportunities such as philosophy for children. Meanwhile in the CBA and the School of Statistics, an integrated NSTP offering may be taken up in one semester. The Diliman NSTP Office does not demand that programs offered by the units be anchored on their respective disciplines.

“Sometimes the ideas emanate from the students, and sometimes they come from the program coordinators,” states NSTP Office Director Arlyn Macapinlac. The School of Statistics lets students conduct meaningful surveys and studies, the College of Engineering carries out disaster risk reduction and management training, while the College of Fine Arts makes murals and coloring books for children under the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

To promote the NSTP, the NSTP Office visits other state universities and colleges such as Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. It also has a radio show on DZUP for its stakeholders in the UP community.

One interesting program, according to Director Macapinlac, is a partnership with the UP Main Library where the CSSP Library is also housed. In one meeting, the librarian mentioned that the library had a huge backlog in covering its books in plastic. This was how “Project AlaLib (Alalay sa Lib)” was born. All CSSP NSTP classes were requested to commit one Monday out of their regular schedule to help cover books. After one semester, the library ran out of plastic protective casings.

“Serving and volunteering do not always have to be grand gestures. It was a delight to see them develop their own systems in a seemingly simple task such as covering books with plastic casings,” Macapinlac relates.

The University is known for its less-than-forgiving circumstances that are supposedly designed to build character, but as empathy slowly finds it way and flows across channels carved by both its institutions and its students, UP may also progress not just as a haven for bright minds but for compassionate hearts as well. ∎

Photo by Miguel Mondragon.

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As the local representative bodies of each of the 19 colleges in UP Diliman, the college student councils are tasked to develop campaigns, events, and services with the welfare of their own constituents in mind.

From Grief to Gratitude Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo

Emely Amoloza. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO

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mely Amoloza lost her daughter to cancer seven years ago. But it was gratitude, not grief, that pushed the then administrative officer at the UP Open University (UPOU) to launch a public service initiative that has become an anticipated annual event: the UPOU Blood Donation Drive.

Her daughter was a quiet young woman who was enjoying university life as a second-year Applied Physics major at UP Los Baños (UPLB). She spent her free time reaching out to children who lived near the train tracks outside campus. She shared her knowledge with them, showed them kindness the best way she knew how. She didn’t even tell her mother about it; she didn’t think herself or what she did exceptional. It was only at Haydelle’s wake, when those children came to visit, that Emely realized the extent of her daughter’s generosity and compassion for others.

Haydelle was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2010.

Things looked good after her operation, but life took a heartbreaking turn just a few months later. It was December when they learned that the cancer had returned.

In January 2011, it had metastasized and was classified as stage IV. She succumbed to her illness on April 18, 2011—twelve days after she had turned 19.

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Paying it forward “When you go through something like this, you don’t really expect an outpouring of support. But there it was and it was really overwhelming,” Emely recalls, teary-eyed.

Relatives, friends, former classmates at the UP Rural High School and UPLB—hers and Haydelle’s—and UPOU colleagues rallied around the Amoloza family during those difficult times. And it was something that stayed with Emely. “I was so grateful for the amount of help that was extended to us. I still am. We were really blessed to have received so much love.”

It was that feeling of gratitude and her daughter’s kindness that inspired Emely to find a way of helping others, to provide what they need. While it wasn’t very challenging for their family to find blood supplies for Haydelle, she knew that other patients weren’t as fortunate as her daughter. “I thought a blood drive would be a good way of paying it forward.”

Critical need There is no substitute for human blood and it is always in high demand. According to the Red Cross, patients with cancer, trauma, extensive burns, blood diseases, and chronic illnesses benefit most from blood donations. Their lives depend on it.

Since the program started in 2012, the number of donors has been increasing and so has the number of partner organizations. It even encouraged more people to volunteer their services and sponsor items such as food and beverage for blood donors.

Blood is a resource that healthy persons can easily replenish. In fact, they can donate every three months. Donating blood benefits not only the recipients but the donors as well. Apart from the emotional satisfaction of knowing you are helping save lives, bloodletting reduces iron stores in the body. Studies have been made on how high levels of iron in the blood increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and liver diseases, among others.

As a result, UPOU’s program has been cited by the PRC “for meritorious service rendered in the promotion of Blood Services.” Emely’s way of “paying it forward” doesn’t stop with the blood donation drive. UPOU is entitled to ten percent of its total blood collection, freely given to those in need. When it runs out and there are still indigent patients asking Emely for help, she calls other blood drive organizers to ask for their “free blood.”

She also extends assistance to those who need to secure blood from the PRC.

Emely, now a university extension associate, says that it wasn’t hard to get UPOU support for the blood drive because public service is one of the University’s main functions. It also wasn’t hard to get the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) on board because it welcomes initiatives such as this.

Except for 2013, the blood drive has been held in April of each year in memory of Haydelle. Emely said that she has received messages telling her that they were excited to donate, that they were asking more of their friends to go with them, that perhaps the one-day event could be extended to two so that more donors could be accommodated.

Emely said that while the program was conceived by a mother’s gratitude, it owes a big part of its life to the University.

“Looking back on everything—Haydelle’s selflessness, the generosity of my co-workers in UPOU, the unrelenting support from my schoolmates and my daughter’s schoolmates, my passion for this endeavor—I realize that this blood drive exists because UP taught us ‘puso,’ what it truly means to have a heart. It allowed me to transcend the despair of losing my daughter, to be thankful, and to pass on to others the kindness bestowed upon me and my family.” ∎ 2018 UPOU Blood Donation Drive.

Photo courtesy of UPOU FICS.

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To have a heart

Creating a Nurturing and Healthy Diliman through

PsycServ Andre dP. Encarnacion

A sneak peek into PsycServ's counseling room at Lagmay Hall. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.

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or many freshmen, the privilege of being a UP student is an incomparable experience. Every year, thousands of hopefuls make a pilgrimage to their campuses of choice in the hope of eventually donning the iconic maroonand-green. And for those who manage to get through, the promise of a new life is cause enough for optimism and celebration.

As with all great things, however, there is a another side to this charge. Just ask Dr. Violeta Bautista, head of UP Diliman’s (UPD) Clinical Psychology program. More than most, she has gotten to know first-hand the hidden fears and doubts that beset even the best UP applicants.

Years ago, while working as a consultant for the UP Health Service, Bautista and her colleagues noticed that a number of their interviewees hinted at looming psychological problems. When the institution revised its interview schedule and questionnaire to include items measuring the risk of students’ vulnerability to psychosocial issues, their fears were substantiated.

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A good number of the applicants were evaluated as being at an elevated risk. For these individuals, getting medically cleared for enrollment required seeing a qualified mental health professional.

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With the help of her interns, Bautista worked hard to meet this need, while also acting as the head of UP Diliman’s Office of Counseling and Guidance (OCG). It was during this stint that she was approached by UPD Chancellor Michael Tan with the mission to create an office completely devoted to giving psychosocial support and psychotherapy.

He asked, “Bolet, is it OK with you to help in establishing a new office?” The Chancellor himself had been hearing accounts of complicated mental health problems sometimes even manifesting as psychiatric conditions. “And of course that is beyond the realm of guidance and counseling,” Bautista said.

With that mandate, the UPD Psychosocial Services (PsycServ) was born, beginning small-scale operations in September 2017.

Firm foundations While PsycServ is a project formed to address contemporary needs, the seeds of expertise that power it were put into place years ago. When Typhoons Ondoy and Yolanda struck the country in 2009 and 2013, members of the Department of Psychology trained field workers to provide psychological first aid, while counseling and giving therapy

to the traumatized. They were also part of moves to establish a CSSP Wellness Center, which would allow the team members to exercise a more direct community service role.

PSS people are as hardworking as they are, especially since some cases have them going far beyond their part-time hours.

Soon after, however, the team, which also include Dr. Anna Cristina Tuazon and Dr. Divine Love Salvador as clinical advisers, were receiving requests of a different sort.

Students were being referred to them who had nowhere else to go. Many were suffering from anxiety and depression. Something needed to be done.

“Because when you have clients who threaten harm, they call you even on weekends. And the PSS goes to them, talks to them, papakalmahin. Because that is a high-risk situation. We take them to the UP Health Service, because that’s a safe place to be in. You have nurses and security guards to watch over you 24/7.”

To address this, PsycServ currently offers an impressive roster of services to all members of the UP community.

The most central of these is a free set of eight therapy sessions for clients with psychiatric conditions or so-called ‘complex problems of living’—cases that are not necessarily psychiatric in nature yet, but might require professional assistance. These problems might include anything from work and relationship stress to more serious, chronic conditions. PsycServ personnel are also trained in crisis management, which could be required in cases, for instance, of community members threatening to harm others or themselves.

Despite psychological and psychiatric problems lately being more visible, especially with the passage of the Mental Health Act, Bautista believes that the other side of the equation is just as important. As much as those with problems might need help, efforts must also be made to keep the healthy ones healthy.

“Some feel guilty about not being able to do anything about what happened,” she said. “Or feeling that if that could happen to someone and he or she was so accomplished, what more me?” Even those who witnessed a failed suicide or who are bearing the stress of supporting a friend with problems might need professional help to process these events. All of these services are offered to members of the UP Diliman community, be they student, faculty or staff member.

A growing demand While waiting for their official launch as an office, the committed personnel behind PsycServ operate on a shoestring budget. Everyday operations are conducted by what Bautista dubbed their ‘Psychological Support Specialists’ (PSS), a team of eight part-time personnel with Clinical training. Of these, four have earned their licenses, while the others practice under supervision.

Even with this dedicated eight-person core, the demand can be overwhelming.

“So far we have taken care of around 450 students,” Bautista said. “And around 35% of them have suicidal ideations.” She noted with relief how lucky she was that her

Translating that into the Diliman population, a tentative assumption leaves us with around 80-85% of students who are relatively OK. “The challenge is to keep them well, so we need evidence-based, psychologically informed wellness programs.”

Recently, PsycServ launched a group mindfulness workshop, which could help those with and without psychological problems to face life’s challenges with a better toolkit.

They have also been quietly holding workshops with faculty and officials from UPD’s different colleges on how to become a ‘lifeline’. These session teach those who are most in contact with students how to provide psychological first aid, respond to crisis situations, identify those who might need help, and make the proper referrals.

All of these efforts converge with what Bautista sees as a welcome growth in national awareness about mental health. In addition to the Mental Health Act, she cites the recently held Summit on Transforming UP into a Nurturing and Healthy University last April 2018 as a sign that the mental health conversation in universities is taking a needed step forward.

“That’s why your puso at isip theme is so consistent with what UP wants and what PsycServ wants. And that is to not only nurture the intellect and competencies of our students, but to support the processes that turn them into whole persons”. ∎ PsycServ is located at Room 209B in UP Diliman’s Lagmay Hall. You may also reach them via telephone number 9818500, loc. 2496, or mobile number 0916-757-3157.

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Finally, in the unfortunate event of a suicide, PsycServ personnel also deliver postvention to support the bereaved.

“There are those cases that never reach us,” Bautista said.

“So we provide postvention services so they don’t suffer the consequences of knowing what happened.”

“We only have statistics of those who come here, but based on data by the DOH, we have maybe 15-20% of our population with psychiatric conditions. Malaki iyon! The low estimate is 7-10% but that’s still considerable.”

The Psych o’Clock Habit Taking Filipino Psychology to the Airwaves t was Thursday and just a little past six in the evening. Two professors were busily finalizing the flow of their program in DZUP’s radio booth.

With teasers playing on air, Jay Yacat and Summer Parcon agreed on what questions and issues they would discuss with their guest.

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will capitalize on the expertise of its faculty members in discussing psychological issues and at the same time promote psychology as a program to its listeners. With Assistant Professor Ton Clemente, Billedo would host the show. “The goal was to make psychology more accessible,” Yacat says.

A ringing school bell sound effect plays and then the technician gives his signal to the hosts. Going live on 3…

2… 1 and “Good evening everyone, ako po si Jay. At ako po si Summer. At ito ang Psych o’Clock Habit.”

While the program was not originally conceived to tackle mental health issues in the university, Assistant Professor Apryl Mae Parcon, better known as Summer, says it is inevitable that PoCH take on topics and concerns which deal with the psychological welfare of its listeners, particularly those emotional challenges that confront students of the university.

Now on its eighth year, Psych o’Clock Habit, or PoCH, is a regular radio program on the University of the Philippines Diliman’s campus radio station DZUP 1602 on the AM band. Originally conceived in 2009 by former Department of Psychology Professor Cherrie Joy Billedo, it was the result of an observation that there is a proliferation of programs on mainstream radio stations which offer advice by phone to questions from listeners.

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According to Assistant Professor Jay Yacat, Billedo saw how popular the radio programs were and felt that the Department of Psychology could come up with a radio show which 10

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Yacat and Parcon now regularly anchor the radio program on Thursday evenings. Aside from being on the booth on DZUP, they also maintain PoCH’s social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And they also maintain a blog, where former host and fellow Psychology Department faculty member, Ton Clemente, helps write the entries. Previous episodes of the program are also hosted on the DZUP website, as well as on IskWiki or the university’s interactive online learning platform.

Without their own production assistants, researchers, and writers, the show’s hosts take on a more direct role in the program, preparing the music playlists that accompany their discussion themselves. They also run the program as a free-flowing discussion, which Yacat says could be its greatest strength, since they are not constrained by a fixed flow for their conversations with their guests, thus making their episodes more natural and interesting. “I feel that this is how the program distinguishes itself, by being spontaneous,” he adds.

For Developmental Psychologist Parcon, the spontaneous flow of the program could be the reason why their audience follows every episode.

“It’s good that you can discuss certain concepts in a very conversational way,” she says. “The listeners feel like they’re just eavesdropping on a conversation, but at the same time, they’re also learning certain things,” she adds.

With its tagline Usapang Malaman, Hindi Puro Chika Lang, PoCH has held discussions on air which dealt with love, courtship and relationships; academics and sports; body image; cultural identity; gender; supernatural beliefs; sleep; and even habits. The

Assistant Professors Jay Yacat and Apryl Mae “Summer” Parcon with College of Human Kinetics Instructor Mona Maghanoy at the DZUP radio booth.

“One of our strongest advocacies is Sikolohiyang Pilipino.

For every episode, as much as possible, we try to contextualize things in our culture,” says Yacat.

Social Psychologist Yacat attributes their ability to tackle different issues aside from those which are covered by their expertise to the willingness of faculty members from other departments in UP Diliman and other UP campuses to participate in their program. “We also use the program to showcase local talents, faculty research, students, and their talents,” he says with a chuckle.

Aside from social issues, PoCH has also served as a platform for the presentation and discussion of research works of experts and students taking up subjects with the Department of Psychology. Parcon says this helps in the dissemination of the ideas and a deeper understanding of the phenomena covered by the studies.

While PoCH may have covered serious and in some cases controversial topics, both Yacat and Parcon say they have not had any problem with their guests or listeners in their discussions. They do admit to being careful with handling the discussions so as not to cause undue concern and attention.

Both hosts also attribute the program’s resilience over the years to the support extended to them by their department, which considers PoCH as an important platform which promotes its academic programs, as well as the expertise of its faculty and works of its students. “We try as much as we can to present psychology in a non-threatening manner,” says Parcon.

Over the years, PoCH has not only attracted more and more audiences but also the attention of award giving bodies. In 2014, the program landed on the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) Golden Dove Awards as a finalist in the Best Radio Magazine Show award. The hosts attribute this recognition to the show’s impact on its listeners, particularly among the university community.

Aside from award-giving bodies, Psych o’Clock Habit has also attracted the attention of some faculty members of other colleges and universities. Yacat notes a time when they learned from some students of another university who were advised by their teacher to go over the archived episodes of the radio show for a paper in their class. Parcon on the other hand highlights the story of a UP Diliman student who took up Psychology, after having been a listener to the radio program since her high school years.

As a pioneering radio program on DZUP hosted by faculty members of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, Yacat says that PoCH has served to inspire other departments to also have their own shows on the campus radio station.

Yacat admits that hosting the program takes up time and effort, but he finds value in how it has been able to help out some students and members of the university in understanding social phenomena and issues. For Parcon, one of the significant contributions of the program is how it has also become a platform for the dissemination of the research of members of the university community. “For as long as we can do it, we’re committed to Psych o’Clock Habit,” Yacat adds. ∎ Psych o’Clock regularly airs Thursday evenings from 6:00 pm to 7:00 p.m. on DZUP 1602 on AM radio. It is also streamed live on dzup.org.

Assistant Professors Jay Yacat and Apryl Mae “Summer” Parcon of the Department of Psychology.

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radio show has also tackled much-talked about issues such as the concerns of indigenous communities, elections, and social media.

THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON

UTAK AT PUSO

1. Please share your most memorable story of kindness and compassion on campus.

At about 9:00 a.m. on July 6, 2006, fire broke out in an area near the UPVTC campus where many of our over 1,100 undergraduate students are boarding. We were about to start our faculty meeting, but the campus suddenly became noisy with people shouting “fire!” Faculty, staff, and students started running out of their offices and classrooms.

Some male faculty and staff went to help rescue our students, literally braving the fire. And when the smoke settled, we gathered our students—some students from other schools also joined in—and provided them accommodation in our old, vacated library building and free meals for several weeks.

Faculty, staff, students, alumni, local business, and government offices donated food, non-food items and even cash to help the students get back on their feet. I was coordinating the donations, and I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of kindness and love for our students. In fact, our students did not feel abandoned and were the envy of students from

other schools. They even joked that they felt they got more than what they had lost to the fire.

2. How can UP help students, faculty, and staff deal better with life’s difficult challenges?

As an academic institution, UP’s main role is providing quality education that will enable students to apply their learning from the university to cope with life’s challenges, to better not only their lives but also to contribute to the development of others. This means that UP must offer a quality curriculum, one that develops competencies for lifelong learning and holistic development. It is not enough that students develop competencies in an area of inquiry; they should also develop skills, values, and attitudes related with content knowledge. The role of the faculty, staff, and the leadership of the university in inculcating values like integrity, compassion, leadership, stewardship, citizenship, etc., cannot be overemphasized. We are, after all, the role models of our students.

Margarita de la Torre-de la Cruz Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics UPV Tacloban College

Prof. Ellen Grace M. Funesto Director, Office of Student Affairs UP Cebu

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1. Please share your most memorable story of kindness and compassion on campus.

2. How can UP help students, faculty, and staff deal better with life’s difficult challenges?

My most memorable story of compassion and kindness is how UP Cebu students and also the faculty help those who are in need. Some faculty of UP Cebu offer scholarships and assistance to financially challenged students anonymously— showing that they do not seek recognition but really are there to help. This is also a personal story for me then, as a student. As a government scholar, my stipend would be delayed for several months. Through these trying times however, my classmates were always there, ready to help. I will forever be grateful to these classmates, and will never forget their kindness.

One thing that UP can do to help students, faculty, and staff deal better with life’s difficult challenges is to remind their constituents to respect each other. No matter what position a person is in, whether you are the chancellor or a worker, you have to respect everyone. Each person has his or her own aspirations and struggles. Respect them, talk kindly, and listen. This should be practiced by all of UP’s constituents, and then life in the campus can be a little better, and UP might even be a safe haven for everyone.

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1. Please share your most memorable story of kindness and compassion on campus:

2. How can UP help students, faculty, and staff deal better with life’s difficult challenges?

Since Palma Hall does not have an elevator, I was particularly touched by the act of kindness and compassion of a group of security and custodial personnel who assisted a wheelchair-bound student, who suffers from muscle atrophy, by carrying him to his third-floor class in Palma Hall and carrying him back down to the ground floor after his class. This became routine for them for three semesters.

UP can help by providing forms of assistance that are reasonable and equitable. Given that everyone is not on equal footing, UP can help identify various needs so it can come up with responses and sustainable initiatives that can best address different levels of concern and ensure that its staff, faculty, and students thrive well. It would be good to have a survey of varying needs so policies can be crafted in response to these.

Prof. Jerwin F. Agpaoa Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs UP Diliman

Shergina Alicando Chair, University Student Council UP Cebu

UP Cebu is wealthy with stories of compassion, not just within the campus, but this richness of empathy and kindness flows to the community. In the most trying times, it is assumed that people become realists, securing themselves first before reaching out to others. In my three years’ stay in UP, I saw students dedicating their time and effort not to themselves but to others even if circumstances challenge them not to. Kindness is not foreign to UP Cebu. Instead, it is the fiber that holds UP Cebu together. Inside the campus, it is always good to see during Hell Week that students remain warm and polite to everyone they meet, because it proves how unconditional kindness and compassion are. I will forever be touched by how the students welcome, embrace, celebrate and fight for diversity. From the simplest act of donating their humblest possessions in donation drives for fire victims, typhoon survivors, and displaced communities to standing with and fighting alongside the masses, UP Cebu students are always reminded to give back to the people.

2. How can UP help students, faculty, and staff deal better with life’s difficult challenges?

Life, or the system rather, is already too oppressive, discriminatory and cruel in itself, thus the least we can do is to be

kind. As a student representative, I am here to speak for the students. Being a student is never easy, especially if you have different baggage to carry. Thus, as it has always been reiterated by every student leader, UP could greatly help students if it genuinely listens to their demands and opens its eyes to their struggles.

Students are not unreasonable to demand superficial things.

If they demand better school facilities, that is because it is necessary for their education. If the students are protesting, that is because there is a problem and it needs to be solved. We must remember that UP students come from all walks of life, and not all are privileged to have the resources for their education. It would surely take a lot of weight off the students’ burdens if they are provided a wide array of financial assistance programs, more accessible basic student services that are without fees, and mental health awareness programs.

While free tuition is a victory, it is not enough for students to overcome life’s obstacles. If the students have no financial resources to get through their days, have to pay fees just to access equipment and services, and are losing themselves in emotional and psychological struggles, free tuition is futile.

The students are the largest stakeholders of this University, and it is about time that the University actually serves and upholds the students’ interest instead of leaving them unheard, alienated, and ridiculed.

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1. Please share your most memorable story of kindness and compassion on campus.

A Haven for Everyone Stephanie S. Cabigao

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he University of the Philippines is the country’s national university—the home of thinkers who help shape the nation. It is also a compassionate and nurturing University committed to honor and excellence. The University environment has always been a welcoming place, a place to turn to for refuge, healing, and enrichment. Here is a look at the University as a haven, a sanctuary of and for the people.

UP Baguio: Quads, commons, hubs The UP Baguio Campus Masterplan (February, 2018) is based on three major principles: 1) respect for nature and society; 2) ensuring long-term sustainable campus development; and 3) linking education to a “living laboratory” for sustainability.

The future quads, commons as well as cultural and learning hubs within its forest reserves are spaces that encourage movement, interaction, and productivity. “These address the issue of pedestrian and vehicular conflicts. The recreation particularly of the main quad from a parking lot into a central open space will provide a new circulation and gathering space for students on campus,” says the proposed campus plan.

UP Diliman: Peace sanctuary UP Diliman is home to various academic and public activities. It also provides a public space for its local constituents as well as a peace sanctuary.

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In 2017, UP Diliman and the Mindanao Interfaith Services Foundation Inc. (MISFI) entered into an agreement in “developing curricula in the University and MISFI recognizing the vital contributions of indigenous communities, the Moro and peoples of Mindanao to national development and nationhood, forming advocacy campaigns on defense of the rights of indigenous communities, the Moro and peoples of Mindanao among others,” according to Rius Valle, spokesperson of Save Our Schools (SOS) Network-Mindanao.

MISFI is a network of 32 schools, offering basic and secondary education from preschool to junior high school in Regions 10, 11, 12 and 13, with the majority of its students coming from long-neglected lumad and Moro communities.

“The Save Our Schools (SOS) UP Diliman has launched a campaign of geotagging communities, schools, institutions, groups and individuals that have been named or have declared themselves as Peace Sanctuaries for the children of the lumad or the indigenous peoples in Mindanao. Geotagging means adding geographical information to digital image, data and social media applications. The campaign works by encouraging individuals, organizations, schools, colleges, units and institutions to declare spaces and communities as a refuge or sanctuaries for lumad children who are displaced or threatened by the ongoing martial law in Mindanao,” UPD Professor and spokesperson of Save Our Schools (SOS) Network-Diliman Sharon Briones explained.

UP Manila-PGH: Haven of hope and healing The UP Manila-PGH Department of Pediatrics is a hub for collaborative and interdisciplinary research in health research. It has launched infrastructure projects prioritizing the delivery of quality patient care as well as providing an environment for recovery and healing. Among these projects is the Teddy Rey Healing Garden, which is an outdoor facility for pediatric patients as well as those with chronic illnesses and their caregivers. Right in the middle of the garden is the Dr. Artemio Jongco Gazebo, where patient-students of Silahis ng Kalusugan and their relatives gather after classes.

The Silahis ng Kalusugan is a school for the chronically ill.

“The school was founded by Dr. Perla Santos Ocampo on September 23, 1996 and remains the only one of its kind in the Philippines. She was then the chair of the Department of Pediatrics when she convinced a special education teacher from the Division of City Schools, Manila, Estelita Samson, to hold classes for admitted patients,” Emma Alesna-Llanto wrote in a recent article. page 16

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UP Forum A look inside the UP Baguio campus. Photo taken from UP Baguio CampusThe Masterplan, February 2018.

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UP Los Baños: Premium on life The College of Human Ecology (CHE) puts a premium on life and the whole cycle of human development. As an institution, CHE addresses the family and community concerns in terms of age and psychosocial conditions.

human development is business that concerns everybody and should be everybody’s concern as well. And CHE, with its commitment to understand all its complexities, is helping the helpless through their vulnerabilities.”

A report by Mary Franhet Esperidion, Daisy V. Pelegrina, and Mark Jayson E. Gloria notes that “CHE has helped children and the elderly. Indeed,

The Child Development Laboratory (CDL) teaches children to socialize through play. The Playshop promotes learning and friendships, and fa-

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cilitates conscious parenting through play. CHE is also the first institution in the country to draw its attention to the elderly with the UPLB Elderly Development Program (UPLB EDP) by providing health and wellness services to senior citizens in nearby communities.

UP Visayas: A safe campus

UP Mindanao: An atrium for all

“The UP Visayas Miag-ao campus has always been a safe place for its students, faculty and staff since it opened its doors to the public in 1989. One can still sleep with one’s doors unlocked at night although this is not encouraged,” Chair of the UPV Healthy Lifestyle and Wellness Committee Mary Lyncen M. Fernandez says.

Jo-An Garcia, an administrative staff member at UP Mindanao, considers the Atrium Administration building a safe and nurturing space on campus. “As a UP employee for the past 13 years, I consider the Atrium as the center of University life.”

Meditation rooms in dormitories and a counseling office courtesy of the Office of Student Affairs (OSA); improvement of library spaces and services; establishment of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Office in Miag-ao and Iloilo campuses; the College Union building and building lobbies; and the 24-hour roving guards are just some of the ways through which the University has made UPV a campus that is truly a haven for its community.

“The Atrium is where University activities, such as the University Convocation and Commencement Exercise, are being held. Our Monday flag ceremony is held in this area, and every First Monday of the Month we hold a Kapihan where personnel and faculty administrators partake of small refreshments after attending the flag ceremony to allow both sectors time to interact on various concerns.

“It is also the venue of many fellowship activities organized by various sectors. Student organizations also hold regular activities such as quiz bees, debate competitions, sports fests, in this area. The UP Mindanao Alumni Homecoming called Panagtagbo is also held here. The wide space of the area can accommodate around 1000 seats. The Atrium has for its backdrop lush green trees and various plants giving the area a serene and peaceful ambiance. The creamcolored walls and the Bagobo-inspired tiles give it a homey look. It is also well lighted due to its skylight roof,” Garcia pointed out.

The stable Internet connection, water fountain, and comfort rooms have made the Atrium a place-to-be for most students, staff and faculty. Aside from the Atrium, UP Mindanao has the EBL Student Dormitory, Human Kinetics Center, University Library and the Kalimudan Student Center are also considered safe and nurturing spaces on campus.

The spatial and structural designs that make for a nurturing and safe University are based on the principles of freedom, openness, sensitivity, protection and enhancement, as the UP Development and Design Guidelines (2014) state. ∎

Lumad children gather during their regular flag-raising ceremony in UP Diliman . Photo courtesy of Rius Valle.

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The author would like to acknowledge and thank Jennifer Diaz-Guimpol (UP Baguio),Cynthia Villamor (UP Manila), Josephine Bo (UP Los Baños), Lyncen Fernandez (UP Visayas), Jo-an Garcia (UP Mindanao) and Rene Estremera (UP Mindanao) for their inputs and assistance.

All-UP Cares Unions Are for Wellness Fred Dabu

Yoga sessions were among the AUPAEU-UPLB Chapter’s activities to promote psychosocial health among UPLB faculty and students.

Photo courtesy of the AUPAEU-UP Los Baños Chapter.

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aculty and employees of the University of the Philippines (UP) are duly unionized and represented by the All UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU) and the All UP Workers Union (AUPWU), respectively, in collective negotiations with the UP administration, and in a multitude of activities inside and outside the UP constituent university (CU) chapters and the whole UP System.

the Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA), in provisions such as “We fully realize that our effort to enhance the quality of our life forms part of the general movement to achieve a just and democratic social order, and a better standard of living. We affirm our responsibility to contribute to the unity and well-being of all Filipino workers and other disadvantaged members of Philippine society.”

Although distinct and separate organizations on both the university and system-wide levels, the two unions share common principles and roots, are identical in their advocacies for the UP constituency and the Filipino people’s rights and welfare, and have been in close coordination since their inception.

To ensure the promotion of employees’ rights, welfare and privileges, further specified in the CNA are the union’s committees on Organization and Credentials; Public Affairs; Research and Education; Finance; Grievance and Negotiations; Gender; and, Health and Safety.

According to Dr. Gene Nisperos, president of the AUPAEU-UP Manila Chapter, the union adheres to the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

He explains that the overall health and wellness of all UP constituents are important aspects of union work.

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Jossel Ebesate, National PRO of the AUPWU and former Staff Regent of UP, said the union “views its advocacy of employees’ welfare from a holistic perspective, not only for UP employees, but for the Filipino people in general.”

This view is explicit in the constitution and bylaws and

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Professor Emmanuel Dumlao, president of the AUPAEUUP Los Baños Chapter, emphasizes that “The AUPAEU’s reason for being rests primarily on its mandate to protect and promote the overall wellness of all faculty and REPS in UP by securing ‘the most just and reasonable terms of employment’ in the University, as stated in Art. II, Sec. 1 of its constitution and bylaws.”

Dumlao adds, “Being an MPMU or militante, progresibo, at makabayang unyon, AUPAEU believes that this ‘effort to enhance the quality of our life’ in the University can’t be detached from the Filipino peoples’ struggles towards building a ‘just and democratic social order.’ In short, AUPAEU means paglilingkod sa sarili at sa sambayanan.”

Union members and students of UP Manila welcome the arrival of the delegates of the 2017 Lakbayan ng Pambansang Minorya along Taft Avenue, Manila. Photo courtesy of the AUPAEU-UP Manila Chapter.

The University’s health sciences center

Union members participate in a broad range of activities such as forums, conventions, and protest actions.

Photo courtesy of the AUPAEU-UP Los Baños Chapter.

Nisperos highlighted the role of UP Manila’s Union in efforts to obtain more benefits as a way of improving the well-being of Union members nationwide, since UP Manila is UP’s Health Sciences Center and is home to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), the largest government hospital in the country that is administered by UP. He said it is important to keep people healthy, not just by making health services available and accessible, but also by encouraging the maintenance of “good health.”

“In 2007, during the negotiation of the CNA of both sectors, the AUPWU, in coordination with the AUPAEU, launched a campaign for the University to provide health care assistance to employees especially those admitted in hospitals. The UP Administration responded with the Financial Assistance Program for Hospitalization Expenses (FAPHE),” he adds.

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Ebesate recalls that in 1999, “The union’s Manila Chapter successfully lobbied for all UP Manila employees (except PGH that has already implemented it since 1997) being entitled to all the benefits under the Magna Carta for Public Health Workers (RA 7305). In 2001, the union was again successful in lobbying for the full implementation of almost all monetary benefits under the said law, such as hazard pay and subsistence allowance. It was later adopted in all Health Service Units of the University.”

The Union is also working for the institutionalization of Health and Safety Committees at the CU and System levels.

“We promote wellness for our members. There are different groups in UP that conduct activities we support, such as zumba and yoga sessions, and sports. Last year, we held the Union Cup, a one-day event to foster camaraderie among AUPAEU members,” says Nisperos. He said UP Manila faculty and REPS, of all ages, participated in the friendly competitions in bowling and darts held at a

nearby mall’s bowling complex. “This year we intend to have our Laro ng Lahing Pilipino,” he added, referring to the sports festival featuring Filipino games for union members and their families.

Nisperos also revealed their efforts to increase the kind of laboratory tests included in the annual physical exams as the employee gets older, as well as having the elderly members’ yearly executive check-up and their needed medical treatment to be covered by UP as part of the implementation of the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers. He

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The AUPAEU-UP Manila Chapter’s Union Cup 2017 featured bowling and darts games for their members.

Photo courtesy of AUPAEU-UP Manila Chapter.

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In 2016, the UP Board of Regents (BOR) approved the Enhanced Hospitalization Programme (eHOPE) for the Faculty, REPS and Administrative Staff (https:// www.up.edu.ph/index.php/up-enhances-hospitalizationbenefits-for-employees/). Nisperos says the union aims to conduct more information campaigns about eHOPE, to expand its coverage, and to have UP’s contractuals included as well.

Noting the high rate of mental health conditions in the country, Nisperos adds that the PGH and other units connected with the University can help more people reach out to psychiatrists, psychologists, and other specialists who can provide the necessary health interventions. “The union wants the University to be a healing or enabling environment for people who are recovering from mental health conditions,” he says.

UPLB’s Tsikiting Korner and Diwang Makiling Dumlao takes pride in the initiatives of the AUPAEU-UPLB Chapter. “We’ve initiated two major projects: Tsikiting Korner and Diwang Makiling. Part of the union’s advocacy for a gender-responsive UPLB, Tsikiting Korner envisions every department of each college in the university to have a space where mothers can breastfeed and their children can play. Initiated by a group of mothers who are active union members, Tsikiting Korner is now a collaborative project between the Union and the UPLB College of Human Ecology administration,” he reports.

“After a series of talks between the Union and concerned UPLB officials, the Office of the Chancellor has instructed the College of Human Ecology to find a place in one of its buildings for Tsikiting Korner and take charge of its implementation and administration. The Union considers this as a big step towards making UPLB a more conducive workplace for employees with young children,” explains Dumlao.

“Diwang Makiling aims to promote psychosocial health in UPLB. The team in charge of the project is composed of psychologists from the Department of Social Sciences and Union Representatives from Engineering, Mass Comm and other CAS departments. Aside from holding forums on mental health and work-life balance, Diwang Makiling also initiated ‘de-stressing’ activities like Ashtanga yoga and Asian dances, which were participated in by both students and faculty members,” continues Dumlao. The campus also has its Panday-Malay Makiling education program and cultural group.

“Under this, we do the traditional Ikot-Unyon or officehopping to conduct MPMU orientations and discuss significant issues and union concerns. In our efforts to be more creative in popularizing the union and raising awareness on its advocacies, we formed Himig Makiling, a singing group composed of Union members and student volunteers,” he says.

Carrying on with caring “Union members help ensure that employees and faculty will get the needed health services. We in UP Manila, as the Health Sciences Center of the UP System, reiterate that being healthy is one of the primary aims of the Union. We are calling on all our members to know what is in the CNA and what programs are available to them, such as eHOPE. Thus, the Union will continue to conduct more activities and information dissemination campaigns,” Nisperos said.

Ebesate declared that “There are many avenues and strategies in accomplishing the change that we need, from petition-signing and ribbon-wearing to radical mass actions including rallies and strikes. The constant challenge however is the same: the widest participation of the rank-and-file employees of the university. If we want for our fellow employees to be with the union always, union leaders must know by heart, the needs and wants of our people, advocate for them, especially their needs, but never dictate or underestimate them.” ∎

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also hopes that the PGH can be the central hospital for all the constituent units of UP, so that UP faculty and employees from any UP campus can avail themselves of PGH services.

Utak at Pusa The Cats and Dogs of UP Diliman Celeste Ann L. Castillo

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nowbell, a white cat as plump as she is sweet-natured, has been an unofficial mascot of the high school Practical Arts Pavilion of the UP Integrated School (UPIS).

She even has her own Twitter account: UPIS Snowbell @ pusaaa.

Other units in UP Diliman have their own mascots. Name any building, and it likely has at least one feline resident.

Even the Balay Tsanselor has its own non-human animal occupants. UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan laughingly describes inheriting ten cats who live at the Balay, whom he now takes care of along with two dogs.

UP Journalism professor Khrysta Rara, who hosts a radio show on DZUP entitled “Kwentuhang Pets, Atbp.” and who founded the animal welfare organization Friends of Campus Animals (FOCA UP), notes that the term “stray” might actually be a misnomer when it comes to UP Diliman’s non-human animal residents.

“We call them ‘stray’ cats but they’re not actually stray because they live on campus. Many are residents of each college, fed and cared for by students, staff and faculty.

That’s why we call them community cats. They’re part of the community.”

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Although voiceless members of the UP community, the campus animals have made a difference in people’s lives.

Rara collects stories of heartwarming encounters between the animals and humans of UP Diliman—stories of students, faculty and staff feeding the animals, rescuing them, and adopting them.

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Animals helping humans

The beneficial effect of pets on mental health has been widely studied, and both Rara and Tan have seen the transformative effect of having an

animal companion. Rara herself shares how Kit-Kat, the famous feline matriarch at the CMC who has been featured on Howie Severino’s documentary “Pusang Gala,” comforted her during the difficult time following the passing of her mother.

Tan has also noted the effectiveness of therapy from dogs in easing the symptoms of mental illness, anxiety and stress—at least among people who like animals to begin with—which is why he is considering putting up a system of emotional support animals on campus, as is being done in universities abroad.

The campus animals also serve as companions for the staff and the se-

curity guards. Tan shares how the lady security guard assigned to the College of Science library building is particularly close to the alpha female who is the sole feline resident of the building. Sometimes, the bond between the animals and humans is so strong that the staff and security guards end up adopting the animals themselves, taking them to be vaccinated and spayed or neutered.

This is, of course, on top of the usual benefits of having animals, which is added security, pest control, and somewhat lesser known, as population control for other animals in the unit, since cats and dogs tend to be territorial and will drive away interlopers. page 24

Three of the resident feline “stress-busters” of the UP College of Mass Communication. Note their collars.

Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO.

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In many instances, though, it is the animals who help humans. At the College of Mass Communication, students take a break from the pressures of academic life by sitting with the cats for a while. This has led Rara to dub the cats “stress-busters.” Staff at UP dormitories have shared stories of students from distant provinces whose loneliness was eased by the presence of cats. There was even a foreign student who found it hard to connect with his classmates but would spend his evenings studying with the cats for company.

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Nature abhors a vacuum While there are benefits in having animals around, the uncontrolled population growth of animals does pose serious problems. Given that cats and dogs are territorial, putting too many of them together in one area stresses them out, which leads to fights and injuries. The humans also suffer—from poor hygiene from animal urine and feces; from the risk of the spread of diseases and parasites; and from the risk of bites and scratches. An uncontrolled population of cats and dogs also leads more people to view the animals as pests, which can lead to acts of cruelty that violate RA 8485, or The Animal Welfare Act of 1998.

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Unit heads faced with an uncontrolled animal population usually resort to having the animals rounded up and taken to the pound, where at the end of a holding period, they are eventually put down.

This method, however, presents certain problems. Dr. Rey Oronan of the UP College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, who is Faculty-in-Charge of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) in Diliman, describes it thus: “Once you remove the resident animals in an area and you transfer them to a different place, you are creating a cycle. The

resident animals have been removed, so a new batch will come in. Then the place you’ve relocated the animals to will also have a problem, since the number of animals in that area has increased. The other thing is, the animals aren’t really relocated. The pound, for one, is mandated to euthanize the animals.”

“The evidence is very clear that the wrong approach is to gather the animals and exterminate them, which is still the dominant thinking,” explains Tan. “Anyone with good training in biology should know that in ecology, Nature does not like vacuums. If you

want total extermination, you would have to kill all the animals and you cannot do that. Not just from a humane point of view. It’s also impossible.”

Especially not in UP Diliman, an extremely porous community with two distinct aspects. It is, first and foremost, an academic community. But where there are people, there are dogs and cats, and UP Diliman is surrounded by residential areas. The campus has around 70,000 residents

by Tan’s count, and a conservative estimate of 7,000 dogs.

The cats number even more than that, since dogs give birth only twice a year, while cats give birth four times a year.

Trap-neuter-vaccinate-return The ideal is for all the animals to have proper homes and responsible owners. Given the realities though, the best option is the “TNVR,” or trap-neuter-vaccinate-return program, the internationally accepted and most effective method of controlling animal populations. This entails humanely trapping the animals, spaying or neutering them, having them vaccinated for rabies and other diseases, eartipping them to mark them as spayed/neutered and vac-

cinated, and returning them to the places they were found.

TNVR is what Rara, other like-minded UP faculty, and the student-members of FOCA UP have been doing for the past few years. With help from Dr. Jonathan Anticamara of the Institute of Biology and his highly-trained team, the cats are counted and humanely trapped and with Oronan and the other veterenarians at the VTH performing the spaying/neutering procedures and vaccinations at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, FOCA UP has succeeded in spaying and neutering more than 300 cats and dogs in the campus since 2016 and returning them to their home units. CARA Welfare Philippines has also helped them by neutering more than 30 cats for free while the International Wildlife Coalition Trust has neutered more than a hundred cats and dogs.

The Philippine Pet Birth Control Center Foundation has also fixed around 30 cats.

Anticamara has also been doing a population count of all the cats and dogs in the campus, while two other UP Diliman professors—Prof. Gregorio del Pilar of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy and Prof. Ibay Sicam of the College of Architecture—are doing research on the campus cats.

Animal-loving UP students also initiated Utak at Pusa: Iskolars ng Bayan supporting TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) Operations in Diliman to help control the campus’ cat population in a humane way. A flagship project of FOCA UP, Utak at Pusa aims to raise awareness and rally support for the TNR project for UP Diliman’s cats, with students organizing rummage sales to raise funds for the medicines needed for the neutering surgeries, which Oronan does as a service to UP. Their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ utakatpusa, has over 4,600 followers and welcomes more.

TNVR is Tan’s preferred method of dealing with campus animals because nothing else works.

FOCA student-volunteers help the cats relax during the Aug. 19 FOCA/IWCT neutering activity.

Photo by Khrysta Rara.

In a way, Snowbell is luckier than most. She was among the UPIS cats recently rounded up by the Office of Community Relations. She has been adopted, though, and has found a new home, albeit one much quieter than the bustling school she has known.

With any luck, she might tweet about it very soon. ∎ The UP Forum

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“We will not of course go with extermination, but if a unit does not want to go into a TNVR program, they have the option to have the animals rounded up, and we will try to look for homes for them. But we will monitor this, because our prediction is those units will keep calling us to round up the animals because the problem will never end. Then we will show that with TNVR, the population will be stabilized, the animals will become healthier, and there will be better relations between the humans and animals.”

Pet Care Is Smart Care Celeste Ann L. Castillo

There is no question that animal-lovers abound on campus. However, compassion toward our community cats and dogs must be applied with judicious knowledge of animal care.

To help control our animal population on campus and create a better environment for both humans and animals, here are some dos and don’ts of responsible pet ownership:

If you are a building administrator or are a student/faculty/ staff member who cares for the animals in your building: • Do not feed the cats and dogs indiscriminately. Feed them only at designated times and in a designated place a safe distance from the building. This will train the animals not to scavenge or beg for food, or otherwise make pests of themselves.

• Do close off all entry points to keep animals outside the building itself.

• Do train a cat to avoid a certain place, e.g., a kitchen or dining area, by using a spray bottle to spray their rear ends with water. Also, cats hate the smell of vinegar and anything citrus, so you can put small containers of vinegar or citrus peelings in the area.

• Do respect the cats’ individual personalities and teach the other humans to do so. Some cats like being petted and cuddled by humans. Some cats do not. With cats, as with humans, “no” means no.

• Do get your all your building cats spayed/neutered and vaccinated as soon as possible. Contact FOCA through Prof. Khrysta Rara of the Department of Journalism or through their Facebook page, https://www.facebook. com/UPFOCA/.

If you are an individual pet owner: • Do take care of your pet’s health needs. This means getting them spayed/neutered and vaccinated as soon as possible. Male kittens and puppies as young as three or four months can be neutered, while female kittens and puppies can be spayed at six to eight months.

• Do make sure your dogs get enough exercise by walking them on a leash. In case they poop, scoop it up so others won’t step on it.

• Do not let your pet wander around outside. Keep your pet within your home. This decreases the risk of your pet getting run over or injured or, if he/she is still intact, reproducing.

• Do provide for the basic needs of your pet, such as clean water, healthy food, regular baths and regular check-ups at the vet.

• Do have a disaster plan for your pet. Have a proper-sized cage or leash ready, along with around five-days’ supply of food, and pet identification and vaccination records.

In case of sudden evacuation, do not tie your dog or cat to a post or a tree. Instead, let them loose and give them a chance to swim or run to safety.

• Do not let your pet be a bother to others. This means cleaning up their poop during walks, not letting them roam around, and training them if they have some behavioral problems.

Always remember: Taking care of a pet is not a right, but a responsibility. ∎

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Prof. Rara with Kit-Kat, the matriarch of the UP CMC’s resident cats. Photo byThe Celeste Llaneta, UP27 MPRO. UP Forum

We Are Family!

Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo

UPOU’s bike enthusiasts often go on rides together. Photo courtesy of UPOU Information Office.

W

e’re not just colleagues. We treat each other like family.” This is how Dr. Jean Saludadez, UP Open University (UPOU) Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, describes how UPOU employees relate to each other.

The UPOU Service Awards, which began in 2000, recognize length of service in multiples of five years. UPOU was five years old at that time. Over the years, the Service Awards program has included honoring employees for other achievements.

The community of roughly 200, based in the UPOU Los Baños headquarters and scattered across several learning centers in the Philippines, makes time to cultivate interpersonal relationships, which the UPOU administration actively supports.

The Gawad Chancellor rewards exemplary service by faculty, administrative staff, and research, extension, and professional staff (REPS). Research grants, professorial chairs, and other incentives are given those who have published scholarly works.

“Our leadership has always had the heart for all who work here, whether faculty or staff, permanent or contractual,” says Human Resources Development Office chief Michael Lagaya, who has been with UPOU since 1998.

These are of course not unique to UPOU. What makes them different, especially in the area of scholarship, is that administrative staff members are included.

Celebrating milestones It’s not uncommon for institutions to commemorate foundation day anniversaries. Celebrating growth and progress, they’re milestones for many organizations.

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In UPOU, Foundation Day has two components—the formal anniversary program with “outsiders,” and the informal gathering of “insiders.” Institutional milestones are celebrated in the former, while the people behind the institution take center stage in the latter. It’s in that informal setting, an exclusive “for UPOU people” event, where its best workers are recognized.

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“We give both the academic and non-academic sectors the opportunity to undertake research. We don’t believe that scholarship can only come from faculty or research staff,” says Saludadez. In fact, some administrative staff members have traveled abroad to present their papers in conferences.

Family Day By 2015, when UPOU marked its second decade of existence, the Service Awards had evolved into “Family Day.” Lagaya and Saludadez recall that the idea came up in one of their meetings for the celebration.

“It’s not just a label or a title. It’s the result of our reflection on UPOU’s 20 years. Our anniversary really is a celebration of our UPOU family—our teamwork, the work challenges we overcome together, the personal struggles we help each other through,” says Saludadez.

“This is our way of making each and everyone realize that we all contribute to the University, that our work interconnects and unites us. When you strengthen connections that are work-related, personal relationships are enhanced as well,” she adds.

Just like family gatherings, the UPOU Family Day celebrates the accomplishments of its family members such as receiving awards, winning competitions, and earning degrees. This year, the event had a surprise award called “UPOU Face of the Year.” It was given to employees who best promoted institutional visibility and showcased UPOU’s “face” to the world, through social media and other online platforms, and even through UPOU souvenir items.

Lagaya relates that these bonds are manifest in the leisure activities their colleagues participate in, from shared interests like dancing and singing to hobbies like bicycling and sports.

Family Day is like a well-attended reunion, says Saludadez.

The UPOU headquarters is also being developed as a home away from home for its employees. Everyone is looking forward to the completion of the Academic Residences, where there are spaces for both the long-term use and short visits by faculty, staff, and students from across the country and abroad.

How important is Family Day to the administration?

“It’s a must. Even if we are swamped with organizing other anniversary activities like conferences, exhibits, and competitions, we don’t skip Family Day,” Lagaya says.

Beyond the anniversary In UPOU, the employees aren’t just family members for a day. Because of the size of its workforce, each is aware and often involved in another’s work. Like any family, there are shared responsibilities in which all are equally recognized for doing their part. Saludadez puts it this way: “If you’re part of the work, you’re part of the reward.”

Cooperation is encouraged in UPOU because it cultivates understanding of, and appreciation for, each other’s work.

“Even those in our headquarters are allotted rooms where they can rest because of overtime work when we have big events like conferences and the graduation,” Saludadez says.

UPOU actively takes care of its own, supplementing monetary benefits with psychic income. It does what it can with the resources available to harness the capabilities of its employees and provide them with opportunities for growth.

“Whatever form of support the University can give, we give to UPOU employees. As long as we can, we help.

We try our best to make our people happy,” Saludadez concludes. ∎

Bonding with colleagues includes playing volleyball.

Photo courtesy of UPOU Information Office.

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“Our staff members from the learning centers all over the country fly out to attend Family Day. It’s that important to them.”

“Especially during times of personal difficulty, you realize how much UPOU employees care about each other. They will help without being asked. They will organize activities that will benefit their co-workers who are in need.”

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Oblation at sunset by Celeste Ann L. Castillo The UP Forum