UP Newsletter January 2011

Wired UP

DZUP hits the web DZUP 102 AM, the official community radio station of UP Diliman now has a brand new website. Visitors to the site will not only be able to listen to the station’s live stream, but participate in discussions using the chat room features.

Visit the new website at http://dzup.org

University of the Philippines Community Newspaper Volume X X xII Number 1

Diliman, Quezon City

JANUARY 2011

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

UP holds testimonial ceremonies for President Roman Bernice P. Varona

UP officials across the seven constituent universities organized several tributes to honor outgoing President Emerlinda R. Roman for her substantial accomplish-ments over the past six years and her exemplary leadership of the entire UP System.

During President Roman’s last Presi-dential Advisory Council (PAC) meeting held on January 5, 2011, the vice presidents and chancellors surprised her with a tribute over lunch. Invited to attend were assistant vice presidents, past vice presidents and chancellors, and past assistant vice presi-dents.

Vice President for Academic Affairs Amelia Guevara presented President Roman with a citation signed by the entire PAC and read by Secretary of the Univer-sity and Board of Regents Lourdes Aba-dingo. Almost all officials present took their turn expressing their gratitude to the President and admiration for her having accomplished the 10-point agenda she had set for herself at the beginning of her term, and having done so with “professionalism, charm, grace under pressure, kindness, and humor.”

(Continued on page 3)

UP, DOST sign MOU for Diliman AGT prototype Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo

After a year of negotiation and research, UP and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) finally signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on December 6, 2010 for the creation of an automated guideway transit (AGT) prototype at the flagship campus.

The AGT prototype, which will be funded, designed, and constructed by the DOST, will have two rubber-tired (Continued on page 9)

Board Work

UP Mindanao officials appointed During its 1265th meeting held on December 17, 2010 at UP Diliman, the UP Board of Regents (BOR) approved the appointment of Prof. Reynaldo G. Abad as Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics of UP Mindanao.

His appointment is effective from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2013.

The BOR likewise appointed Prof. Ma. Araceli Dans Lee as Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences of UP Mindanao.

Her appointment is effective from January 1, 2011 to December 31, UPOU Chancellor Grace Javier Alfonso presents Pres. Roman with a portrait of the outgoing president which she herself made.

President Pascual assumes Five accept office February 10 nominations to lead UPD Jo. Florendo B. Lon-

The newly elected president of the University of the Philippines, Alfredo E. Pascual, will formally assume his post at a turnover ceremony on February 10, 2011 at 8 a.m. on the steps of Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City.

Incumbent President Emerlinda R. Roman, the first female UP president whose administration saw the University entering its second century armed with a new charter, will turn over the symbolic UP Mace to finance professional Alfredo E. Pascual. His term begins on that day and ends on February 9, 2017.

Pascual, currently on leave as UP Alumni Regent, will be UP’s 20th president.

The search process for UP president

I

2

UP confers honoris causa on former Chief Justice Puno

3

N

Climate change adaptation more crucial for RP, says UP scientists

S

ended on December 3, 2010 when the 11-member UP Board of Regents, the highest governing body of the University, elected him from among 11 presidential nominees. Pascual got six votes.

Pascual’s assumption to the UP presidency comes in the heels of diminishing state subsidies to state universities, among which UP has the distinction of being the National University. In his vision paper as a presidential nominee, Pascual emphasized the critical role of getting the commitment of the national government to underwrite the cost of

(Continued on page 10)

I

D

6

In a memorandum dated January 17, the Search Committee for UP Diliman Chancellor through its chair, Prof. Jose Ernie C. Lope, announced the five contenders for the leadership of the flagship campus.

Those who “formally accepted their nominations and expressed their willingness to serve as Chancellor, if selected, on a full-time basis for the full term of three years” are: Prof. Patrick Alain T. Azanza of the College of Education; Dr. Sylvia Estrada Claudio, director of the Center for Women’s Studies; Prof.

(Continued on page 5)

E

UP COE holds appreciation dinner for Manuel V. Pangilinan

7

UPIS student wins Critic’s Choice Award in World AIDS Day 2010 Video Contest

2 U.P. Newsletter

JANUARY 2011

UP Law kicks off Centennial celebration this year Jo. Florendo B. Lon-

The College of Law of UP Diliman started the year 2011 with a flurry of activities on the auspicious date of January 11, 2011, to celebrate its centennial. These included groundbreaking ceremonies for a student dormitory, the inauguration of two renovated rooms, conferment of an honorary doctorate to a prominent alumnus, and dinner for a College Centennial Commission and Board of Advisers.

The occasion was also an opportunity to announce the construction of a UP satel-lite campus in Taguig City, which would house an extension and graduate school of the College of Law, among other extensions of UP professional schools.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Law student dormitory was held on the vacant lot along Apacible Street between the Chapel of the Holy Sacrifice and the Kalayaan Dormitory.

According to College of Law Dean Marvic MVF Leo-nen, student housing at UPD has been particularly difficult for law students because they have always been last in priority. Thus the

idea of a dormitory was broached during a meeting of the UP Law Alumni Association. The project got the support of Law alumni in the current Senate.

Leonen envisions the dormitory, which is expected to be finished within the year, to be a sanctuary of “gender fairness, peace, and sharing”; a community where law students share hopes, dreams, and values; and where law will be seen not only as one taught in a grand manner but also lived in a grand manner.

UP Law Centen-nial Commission Chair, Sen. Edgardo Angara told personal anecdotes which highlighted the importance of dormitories and expressed the hope that the new building will represent “the continuity of law” into contemporary times and be-come an iconic landmark. President Emerlinda Roman congratulated the College for embarking on the dormitory project, which she said is in line with the project of developing UP as a graduate university.

On behalf of the students, Law Student Government President Teresa Ira

Maris Guanzon expressed gratitude to the donors and leaders of the dormitory pro-ject. She explained that law students need a dormitory suited to their need for silence, late nights in the library, group studies, and food.

Following the groundbreaking was the inauguration of the office of the dean and Library Meeting Room 1, both of which were renovated under the auspices of UP Law Class 1985, which is currently celeb-rating its own 25th anniversary. The class was represented by its president, Atty. J. Conrado Castro.

The afternoon was marked with the conferment of an honorary doctorate to alumnus and former Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno, followed by his lecture. (See separate story by KIM Quilinguing.) The day’s activities culminated with a faculty dinner with the UP Law Centennial Commission and Board of Advisers at the Executive House in UPD. These events were attended by (Continued on page 9)

Senator Edgardo Angara, Law Student Government Pres. Teresa Ira Maris Guanzon, Pres. Roman, College of Law Dean Marvic Leonen, Faculty Regent Ida Dalmacio, and Law Centennial Commission member former Chief Justice Hilario Davide bury a time capsule during groundbreaking rites for the UP College of Law Centennial Dormitory, as former College of Law Dean Salvador Carlota (at right, behind Davide) looks on.

UPCAT results yield 13,000 hopefuls KIM Quilinguing

Around 13,000 of the country’s youth are expected to join the University of the Philippines System in the next academic year as the University of the Philippines College Admission Test results were released on the first week of January. The qualifiers are only a fraction of the estimated 67,000 high school students from all over the country who took the national university’s admission examinations last August.

UPCAT qualifiers are chosen and ranked according to their university predicted grade. The UPG is a combination of the applicant’s weighted average of high school grades, combined with the weight-ed average on the UPCAT examinations in science, mathematics, language profi-ciency, and most importantly, reading comprehension.

Despite the publication of the

names of the UPCAT qualifiers, several of the applicants and their parents still flocked to the Office of Admissions in UP Diliman to read the list of those who made it into the country’s premier university. Aside from the University’s paramount status in the academic community, most of the country’s youth and their parents also hope to get into UP due to its relatively affordable fees as compared with those of private universities. More importantly, the top 50 qualifiers are awarded Oblation Scholarships, which grants them free tuition, laboratory and miscellaneous fees, as well as a monthly stipend, a book allow-ance , and a transportation allowance.

Senator Edgardo Angara, former UP President and current member of the UP Board of Regents, has however challenged this year’s UPCAT qualifiers.

In Philippine Information Agency release, Angara said that the 13,000 should help the nation in its struggles against poverty, deprivation, and hunger.

“These students have the ability - and responsibility - to help the country by utilizing the training provided by their college or university. They must try to give back to the community so that the future state scholars get the same opportunities,” he said.

Angara said that the new members of the UP community, now privileged to enrol in the country’s premier academic institution, should “not waste this oppor-tunity to learn from some of the country’s finest educators.”

He also said that their desire to make education such as that of UP available to deserving students moti-vated him and his fellow lawmakers to work hard

UP confers honoris causa on former Chief Justice Puno KIM Quilinguing

Justice Puno

In celebration of the centennial of the UP College of Law, the University of the Philippines on January 11, 2011, conferred upon former Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno, the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the Malcolm Theatre, Malcolm Hall, UP Diliman.

UP President Emerlinda R. Roman cited Puno’s term in the Supreme Court as one which showed fidelity to the Consti-tution, a deep concern for the deaths of activist victims, high principles and a liberal judicial activism, which had never been seen in the history of the country’s highest court. She said that Puno “exemplifies the modern Filipino intellectual.”

UP Law Dean Marvic Leonen said that Puno has been at the forefront of judicial reform and transparency in the jus-tice system. Being a man of law, religion, as well as letters, Puno is a rarity in the profession, both as lawyer and Chief Justice, both of which demand a strict and almost blind adherence to the letter of the law and the traditions of the legal profession.

Aside from being the honoree, Puno was also given by the College of Law the honor of giving its first centennial Lecture. In his lecture, “The Need for Constitu-tional Change,” Puno cited reasons for the need to review the 1987 Constitution and make necessary changes. His lecture was his first opportunity to expound on his views and thoughts on charter change.

Puno said that no other time is more appropriate to talk of charter change than at the start of an administration which has shown itself intent on effecting changes and uplifting social and political conditions in the country.

“There is no doubt of the pristine intention of our president for effective governance,” he said.

Unlike those proposed by earlier ad-vocates of charter change, Puno said that “we cannot change the Constitution from root to branches, but merely some of its defects.” Among defects he cited were provisions in the representative system; the conduct of elections; (Continued on page 9)

JANUARY 2011

U.P. Newsletter 3

Climate change adaptation more crucial for RP, says UP scientists Francis Paolo M. Quina

The recent wave of flooding experienced not only in the Visayas and Bicol region, but in other countries such as Aus-tralia, has once again brought to bear the now undeniable reality that the planet is undergoing a period of climate change. And while world leaders, under the leader-ship of the United Nations, are currently negotiating new greenhouse emission standards to hold back the tide, people on the ground are trying to cope with the reality of it.

According to Dr. Decibel V. Faustino -Eslava of the Rushurgent Working Group (RWG) of the National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS) in UP Diliman, for countries such as the Philippines, whose greenhouse emissions amount to only a small fraction, our focus should not be on the mitigation of the causes of climate change, but instead on helping our countrymen cope with it.

“The reality is that we have a relatively small budget,” Faustino-Eslava said in an interview with the UP Newsletter. “Rather than use that money for ‘going green’ initiatives it would be better to use whatever little we have to help people adapt to this new reality.”

Dr. Faustino-Eslava, along with Dr. Graciano P. Yumul, Jr. of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Nathaniel Servando of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration

Dr. Decibel V. Faustino-Eslava during one of the surveys they conducted in 2009.

(PAGASA) and Prof. Carla Dimalanta of NIGS, has authored the report “The January 2009 anomalous precipitation associated with the ‘Tail-end of the Cold Front’ weather system in Northern and Eastern Mindanao (Philippines): Natural hazards, impacts and risk reductions.”

The paper will appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Global and Planetary Change, an ISI-indexed international publication that seeks to provide “a multidisciplinary view of the causes, processes and limits of varia-bility in

planetary change.” An unedited copy of the report was made available by the journal on their website late December of 2010.

The paper is a documentation of numerous natural disasters experienced in parts of northern and eastern Mindanao in the first half of January 2009, caused by the passage of the tail-end of the cold front. The disasters enumerated in the report include flooding, landslide and storm surges which caused the loss of lives and property.

In the paper, Faustino-Eslava and her colleagues noted that the “otherwise ordinary weather condition (the passage of the tail-end of the cold front) was accompanied by unusually heavy precipitation sustained over a period of several days.” The paper makes a note of how many communities in the area were caught unprepared for the calamity, as historically, the amount of rainfall has never reached the levels it did in January 2009. (Continued on page 11)

UP holds testimonial ceremonies UP to have a campus for President Roman (Continued from page 10)

at The Fort Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc

(Left) UP Visayas Chancellor MInda Formacion presents President Roman with a token of appreciation during the testimonial dinner held at UPV. (Above) VP for Academic Affairs Amelia Guevarra and University Secretary Lou Abadingo present tokens to President Roman during a surprise party held after the Roman administration’s final PAC.

Other tributes for President Roman were held in January and the rest, in February. UP Open University (UPOU) held their testimonial program on January 13, 2011 at the UPOU Centennial Center for Digital Learning, Los Baños. A short tour of Laguna took place after the program.

UP Visayas (UPV) Tacloban College (TC) Dean Miranda dela Cruz directed the UPVTC faculty, staff and students in preparing the UPV tribute. The day began with the inauguration of the new UPVTC Ladies’ Dormitory by the President and Senator Miguel Zubiri,

a major donor and force behind the build-ing of the dormitory. President Roman lead her executive staff during the blessing of several other Tuition Fee Increment Impact Projects. This was followed by a pleasant lunch at Rafael Farm and Res-taurant, and the tribute proper was held on campus. Lead by UPV Chancellor Minda Formacion, most of the UPV officials were in attendance and spoke not only of President Roman’s help in pro-pelling UPV forward, but also of her kindness and humanity. The day was cap-ped with a harana by the UPVTC chorale

and dinner. UP Baguio Chancellor Priscilla Macansantos also attended the events.

On January 26, UP Manila Chancellor Ramon Arcadio lead officials in hosting a testimonial dinner for President Roman at the Pan Pacific Hotel. The event was well-attended by UP Manila faculty members and other UP officials.

On January 31, UP Los Baños held its testimonial event titled “A Tribute to a Woman of Vision.” Chancellor Rey Velasco opened the program which

(Continued on page 10)

Plans for a satellite campus at The Fort to cater to urban professionals are being firmed up, with construction expected to start on the first half of this year.

Vice President for Development Armin Sarthou Jr., in a report in the Philippine Star, said the project had been in the works for several years but construction will only start this year.

According to a schedule of the UP College of Law Centennial celeb-rations, the groundbreaking is set for April.

The campus is expected to attract professionals, particularly those from southern Metro Manila, who might otherwise get discouraged from commuting through heavy traffice to UP Diliman to pursue higher education. Sarthou said the campus will be referred to as the “UP Professional Schools at the Fort.” It will have a College of Law satellite campus.

It will also offer graduate studies under the College of Business Administration (CBA), College of Engineering, and the School of Statistics.

“We are losing potential students because of this issue of location. Since we want UP education to be accessible, we are now pushing through with this

(Continued on page 8)

4 U.P. Newsletter

JANUARY 2011

UP Cebu develops programs and infrastructure Bernice P. Varona

Work has already started to make UP Cebu autonomous from UP Visayas, which will officially take place in January 2011. Part of this work includes initiating UPC’s expansion plans in order to fulfill its role as the UP System’s newest constituent university.

T he expansion plans include the following: formulating strategic directions on its role as an institution of higher learn-ing; creating and achieving a desired faculty development profile; improving the quality of undergraduate programs while emphasizing quality graduate education; nurturing and developing an IT culture while promoting the cultural heritage of the region; and creating a physical develop-ment program.

In formulating strategic directions in its role as an institution of higher learning, UP Cebu’s current academic programs will be clustered according to the follow-ing disciplines: sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities, and business management. By 2011, all programs must be streamlined to conform to this prescribed curricular structure so as to align it to the thrusts of the University.

For academic year 2009-2010, two new General Education (GE) courses were introduced. These were Literature

4 (Sugbuanon Literature) and Geology 9 (Rated PG: Practical Geology). Aside from these, several new elective courses unique to UPV Cebu were introduced, such as: CMSC 101 (Introduction to Infor-mation Systems); CMSC 102 (Introduc-tion to Bioinformatics); and CMSC 103 (Introduction to Geographic Information Systems). Other undergraduate and gra-duate programs in the other clusters were reviewed and revised as part of efforts to streamline all academic programs to ensure quality control and sustained efforts.

UPC also decided to prioritize Computer Science and IT; for which reason the faculty reviewed its Computer Science program. In 2007, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) recognized the college’s Computer Science unit as a Center of Excellence. Faculty items, faculty grants and scholarships were provided to the newly established Department of Computer Science (DCS) to support its plans. Newly revised programs should in-clude computer science or IT components, and this digital environment will be fully integrated in the campus by 2015.

To create balance between the sciences and the arts, UPC also plans to encourage collaborative participation

within the col-lege to revive interest in Cebuano literature and arts, as well as to promote research into the language and culture of the region. This will be done under the arts and humanities cluster through its program courses, activities, etc.

With all these, UPC expects student enrollment to increase by 20% in 2012, with a corresponding increase of faculty by around 10%.

The increase of faculty not only means adding to the number of professors in the College, but also improving the faculty profile. UPC will work on increasing the number of doctoral degree holders in the faculty.

To stimulate scholarship and attract more recruits, the College will also add incentives and rewards for faculty members who are able to deliver.

To a n s we r t h e s h o r t a g e o f faculty in prioritized fields such as science, mathe-matics, languages, and design, international fellowships and development fellowships will be encouraged through partnerships with international organizations, funding agencies, system funding and government funding agencies. There will also be inter-campus exchanges through which pro-fessors from other

Archeologists conference held at UP Members of the Society of Philippine Archaeologists (KAPI), including faculty members from the UP Diliman Archeological Studies Program, gathered at UP Diliman for their 9th Annual Conference on December 10.

The day-long conference featured paper presenta-tions by KAPI members, followed by a brief panel discussion. The papers presented ranged in topics from the latest local archeological finds to the current state of archeology and cultural heritage legislation.

KAPI president Cecilio G. Salcedo, in his welcome remarks, said that the annual conference is the venue for KAPI members to share their finds with other members. Guest speaker Jeremy Barns, director of the National Museum of the Philippines, meanwhile praised KAPI members for their continued commit-ment to archeology here in the Philippines. Barns also reiterated the continued support of the National Museum of KAPI activities.

KAPI is a non-stock, non-profit guild founded by members of the archeological community in the Philippines. KAPI is open to professional archeologist in the Philippines, archeologists from other parts of the world interested in Philippine National Museum of the Philippines Director Jeremy Barns addresses members of KAPI

UP Manila tops Dentist Licensure Exams Bernice P. Varona

UP Manila Dentistry graduates got a 100 percent passing rate in the recent Dentist Licensure Examinations, with all 27 examinees passing the exams. The Professional Regulatory Commission’s Board of Dentistry posted the results last December 2010.

Nine out of 12 new dentists who placed in the top 10 were also from UP Manila. The topnotcher was Pia De La Cruz Briones, with a grade of 85.12 per-cent. Ranking second were Leonida Pascua Garcia of UPM and Jefalyn Mae Salomon Garcia of the University of Baguio; third, Dindo Agustin Rabino of UPM; fourth, Ariane Torreres Sadiang-Abay of UPM; fifth, Ma. Fatima Bernaldez of Dolor Uni-versity of Manila. Tied in sixth place were Andrianne Ang Gomez of UPM and Joanna Bless Tago Yap of Cebu Doctors University; seventh, Katrina Pe Lo of UPM; eighth, Roxanne De La Pierre Donato of UPM; and ninth, Ulysses Cata-cutan Patalinghug from UPM. The oath-taking ceremony for the new dentists will be held on January 26, 2011, while the registration for their professional ID and certificates of registra-tion is scheduled from January 3 to 19, 2011.

UP units and other universities abroad will be invited to teach and share their knowledge in UPC. As for UPC’s physical development, the first step taken was to protect the phy-sical integrity of the campus by solving the problem of informal settlers in the areas of Lahug and Talisay. The college is now working on recovering as much of UP’s land as possible; negotiations to this effect were conducted with the help of the local government and the informal settlers them-selves. The Cebu Center for Performing Arts building will also be open to UPC; the building’s facilities can be used for the College’s cultural events and activities.

An amount of P4.3 Million was granted to UPC to provide new work stations (50 PCs good for three laboratories), install wireless connectivity and upgrade its campus-wide local area network so that students may access the Internet.

Architects from UPD faculty also helped review and update the campus physical plans, with the repair and renovation of classrooms, the library building and comfort rooms, and the repainting of several buildings prioritized. UPC’s land use plan and its master campus development plan are both moving towards proper utilization

UP professor delivers Rizal lecture Camille Dela Rosa

Prof. Roberto G. Paulino, assistant professor at the Department of Art Studies in UP Diliman, delivered a lecture on Dr. Jose Rizal’s life and works during the “Annual Rizal Lecture” hosted by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines at historic Fort Santiago in Intra-muros to commemorate the 114th anni-versary of the martyrdom of the Philip-pines’ national hero.

This year’s theme was “Rizal: Haligi ng Bayan.” Paulino read his paper, “Rizal Monuments and the Filipino Diaspora” which examines the context of production of Rizal monuments outside the Philip-pines. The paper also “relates the erection of statues and plaques not only as comme-morative markers and as forms of state diplomacy but also with the dispersal of Filipinos to many parts of the world.”

UP recently awarded Paulino the Washington SyCip Award for Best General Education Learning Material for his do-it-yourself instructional materials, which are designed to supplement

JANUARY 2011

U.P. Newsletter 5

The nominees for the UPD Chancellorship: (L-R, clockwise) Tolentino, Estrada-Claudio, Guevara, Saloma and Azanza

Five accept nominations to lead (Continued from page 1)

Rowena Cristina L. Guevara of the College of Engineering; Prof. Caesar A. Saloma, dean of the College of Science; and Prof. Rolando B. Tolentino, dean of the College of Mass Communication. To find out more about the nominees, please visit this website: http://up.edu.ph/features.

php?i 246 Following the announcement of nominees, a series of public fora were held to introduce the nominees to various UPD stakeholders. The public forum for students was held at the NISMED Auditorium on January 24, while the public forum for the UPD

faculty was held at the School of Economics Auditorium on January 31.

A final forum for UPD Administrative Staff and REPS will be held on February 7 at the Claro M. Recto Hall, Bulwagang Rizal, Faculty Center.

Seton Hall University appoints UP alumnus as its

Dr. Amado Gabriel M. Esteban

UP alumnus Dr. Amado Gabriel M. Esteban was recently appointed by the Se-ton Hall University (SHU) Board of Re-gents as University President. SHU, located in New Jersey, is the oldest diocesan Catholic university in the United States.

Esteban had already been serving as interim president of SHU since July 1, 2010, after then-president Monsignor Robert Sheeran stepped down. Esteban joined SHU as its provost in 2007. In appointing Esteban, the Board of Regents made an exception to SHU bylaws that requires the president to be a priest.

Esteban earned his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics (1981) and his

MBA (1983) from UP, where he was an instructor at the UP College of Business Administration from 1983-1985.

He later earned an MS in Japanese Business Studies from Chaminade Univer-sity, Honolulu, and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of California at Irvine. He also attended Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education and completed the Japan Management Program at the Japan-Ame-rica Institute for Management Science.

He has taught in, and served in numerous administrative posts in a number of higher learning institutions in the US, namely, the University of Central

UP Law alumnus Theater prof wins international to head POEA prize for his paper on komedya Attorney Carlos Cao, Jr. has been appointed by the Aquino administration to head the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). The appointment, which came out late December last year, was only confirmed on the first week by Malacanang.

Prior to his appointment, Cao was the chief legal counsel and head of corporate planning at Mitsubishi Motor Philippines Corporation. As a managing co-partner of the El Elyon and Cao Law Office, he specialized in labor relations and corporate law. He also worked as a legal researcher for the Public Estates Authority and as a legal assistant for the UP College of Law Office of Legal Aid. He also became a confidential legal assistant for Court of Appeals Associate Justice Bienvenido Ejercito.

Cao finished journalism and law at the University of the Philippines Diliman. He is the brother of outgoing UP Diliman Chancellor Sergio Cao. (Source: GMA News.tv, Sunstar.com)

Jo. Florendo B. Lon-

UP Diliman College of Arts and Letters Assistant Professor and Department of Speech Communication and Theater Arts alumnus Sir Anril P. Tiatco has won the 2011 New Scholars Prize from the International Federation for Theater Research (IFTR) for his research on cosmopolitanism and Philippine komedya.

The prize will be awarded during the IFTR conference in Osaka, Japan to be held from August 7 to 12, 2011.

Prof. Tiatco was project director of the international conference on the komedya organized by UP Diliman in 2008, for which several papers on the localized Spanish theater form were written and delivered. Tiatco was also an assistant editor of the last issue of the Philippine Humanities Review, launched in December 2010, which featured these papers and papers on the zarzuela, another localized theater form. The speech and theater expert is a recent

Palanca award-winner for drama.

IFTR r uns the annual essay competition for New Scholars, in which candidates are encouraged to submit work, drawing on their current research.

The New Scholars Prize is awarded to the best essay, judged on criteria of originality, coherence, and scholastic rigor. The Prize enables the winner to attend the IFTR Conference. The winning essay may also be considered for publication in Theatre Research International.

The IFTR defines the New Scholar as a graduate student or post-doctoral researcher whose PhD was completed less than three years ago; or a researcher without a PhD who has occupied an academic post for less than three years.

The judges for the New Scholars Prizes in 2010–11 were Khalid Amine of Morocco, B Ananthakrishnan of India, Yasushi Nagata of Japan, Sophie Proust of France, and Jung-Soon Shim

Former UP-AIT Dean appointed to DOT Former University of the Philippines –Asian Institute of Tourism (AIT) Dean Daniel G. Corpuz was appointed by President Benigno S. Aquino III as the Acting Undersecretary for Planning and Promo-tions of the Department of Tourism. The appointment was announced by Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte in an interview on Radio ng Bayan on January 15, 2011.

Corpuz’s appointment has been viewed by some representatives in the tourism industry and policy-makers as the right step for the DOT to take. The designation comes at a time when the Tourism Department is in dire need of a new direction in its advertising and promotions campaigns. The department was recently under fire from several sectors after it launched the Pilipinas Kay Ganda advertising campaign which adopted a logo believed to have been copied from the tourism campaign logos of Poland and the Maldives.

The former dean will be assuming the position and responsibilities of then Undersecretary Vicente Romano III, who resigned on November 2010.

Prior to his appointment, Corpuz was the executive director of the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation, now known as the Tourism Promotions Board. He was dean of the AIT from 1988 to 1991. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from UP Diliman, where he also earned his Masters in Urban Planning. He had special training in Tourism Management at the Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management in Salzburg, Austria. (Source: Inquirer. net, MB.com, Presidential Communications

6 U.P. Newsletter

JANUARY 2011

UP COE holds appreciation dinner for Manuel V. Pangilinan Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta

Mr. Manuel V. Pangilinan

The UP College of Engineering tendered an appreciation dinner in honor of Filipino business magnate Mr. Manuel V. Pangilinan on January 10, 2011 at the Executive House in UP Diliman.

The dinner was held as a way for the UP COE to express its gratitude for the generous and continuing support Mr. Pangilinan and his group of companies—which include the First Pacific Group, Meralco, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), Maynilad Water Services, Inc., Philex Mining Corp., Manila North Tollways Corp., Medical Doctors, Inc., Metro Pacific Investments Corp., Landco Pacific Corp., Pilipino Telephone Corp., and Smart Communications, Inc, among others—for the University in general, and the College of Engineering in particular.

In attendance were UP President Emerlinda Roman and UP President-elect Alfredo Pascual, UP COE Dean Aura Matias, UP COE officials and faculty members, top officers and executives from the MVP group of companies, and Mr. Pangilinan himself.

“We are here this evening to give our deepest appreciation and honor to the group of companies that have continued to support our growth and sustained our activities in the University and the UP COE,” Dean Matias said in her welcome address to the guest of honor. “We are here to show you that we have been responsibly using the investments you have made in the University, particularly in support of our faculty, students and the development of our infrastructure.”

The UP COE has been the beneficiary of numerous sponsorships, donations and endowments from Mr. Pangilinan and his group of companies. These in-clude professorial chairs such as the PLDT Professorial Chair presently held by Dr. Rowel Atienza of the Electric & Electronics Engineering Institute (EEEI); the Meralco Industrial Engineering Services Corp. (MIESCOR)/Cesar Nu-guid Professorial Chair in Photogram-metry presently held by Dr. Eric Paringit, chair of the Geodetic Engineering Dep-

artment; the Manuel Lopez Professorial Chair through the MERALCO Millennium Foundation, Inc. and Manuel M. Lopez Development Center (MML DC), presently held by EEEI Professor Joy Alinda Reyes; the MERALCO Professorial Chair in Engineering held now by EEEI Prof. Marc Cesar Talam-pas; and two PHILEX Mining Pro-fessorial Chairs in Engineering.

Philex Mining also donated scholarship pro-grams, which have successfully graduated six students and currently has 10 scholars.

Infrastr ucture endowments include the Meralco Multimedia Hall located at the EEEI Building, and two theaters donated by SMART—the Geodetic Engineering Theater, and the Engineering Theater in Melchor Hall.

The latter served as the venue for the turnover of P1 mil-lion pesos from Mr. Pangilinan through Meralco to the UPCOE and UP Alumni Engineers in

honor of the UP COE’s Centennial celebration on July 8, 2010.

Dean Matias also expressed her grati-tude to Maynilad Water Services, Inc., which has pledged a donation of P4 million for the UP COE Centennial Dor-mitory, which gives Maynilad naming rights to to an entire floor in the dormi-tory.

UP President Roman also thanked Mr. Pangilinan for the support he has extended to the UP sports program, particularly to the UP men’s basketball team, and for the P25-million donation the University received in honor of its centennial in 2008.

“When I speak before the [UP] alumni to thank them for their support, I always say, ‘It’s not only the alumni who are helping us. People who are not even graduates of the University, like Mr. Pangilinan, has gone out of his way to help the University,’” Roman said in her message.

Roman also credited national

government for investing in the UP COE and in engineering education in general through the Engineering Research and Development for Technology (ERDT) Program. The ERDT Program consists of a consortium of eight universities with the UP COE as the lead agency. It has received support from national government to the tune of P3 billion, allocated among the four major components of the program: scholarships that aim to produce 484 MS and 112 PhD graduates in Engineering by 2012; research and development; infrastructure development, particularly in the UP Diliman campus; and faculty development. In fact, Roman reported that an additional P200 million was recently given to the ERDT Program, the only program that President Benigno Aquino has decided to continue to support.

“Indeed, the College of Engineering really made progress,” said Roman. “[For this] we recognize not only national gov-ernment, but private individuals, private companies, and the UP alumni as well, who continue to help and continue to believe that higher education— that engi-neering education is a good investment and a good strategy to help the country.”

During the program, Matias also briefed the guests from the MVP group on the plans and programs of the UP COE, extending an open invitation for continued support, new investments and infrastructure endowments, and new partnerships with the UP COE in the process. She described the four main thrusts of the new UP COE administration. The first of these is to bring engineering closer to the public through the UP COE’s increased presence in various mass media such as the UP COE’s regular radio show on 1602 (Continued on page 10)

Maynilad completes its P5M-donation for the UP COE Centennial Dormitory Mr. Manuel V. Pangilinan, head of the Pangilinan group of companies, which includes Maynilad Water Services, Inc., Meralco, Philex Mining, PLDT, and SMART, among others, hands over a check worth P3.8M to Dean Aura C. Matias of the UP College of Engineering (UP COE) at the corporate head office of PLDT in Makati on 13 Janu-ary 2011. The amount brings to P5M the total donation of Maynilad Water Services, Inc. for the UP COE Centen-nial Dormitory, the Concordia B. Albar-racin Hall. This entitles naming rights to the company of one of the floors of the dormitory. The initial donation of P1.2M donation came from Maynilad’s contractors.

The turnover of the donation took place a few days after Mr. Pangilinan attended the appreciation dinner hosted by UPCOE at the Executive House on 10 January 2011 where he

affirmed his companies’ commitment to support the College’s various activities and projects. With Mr. Pangilinan and Dean Matias are Mr. Ricky P. Vargas, President and CEO of Maynilad Water

Services, Inc. (extreme right) and Mr. Joey Lim, President of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) (extreme left).

JANUARY 2011

U.P. Newsletter 7

UPIS student wins Critic’s Choice Award in World AIDS Day 2010 Video Contest Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta

A video made by Jemima Grace S. Yabes, a Grade 9 student of the UP Integrated School in Diliman, won the Critic’s Choice Award in the World AIDS Day 2010 Video Contest launched in November 2010 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) National Commission of the Philippines and the University of the East College of Education (UE CoEd), in partnership with the UNESCO office in Jakarta.

The video contest, with the theme “I AM THE NEXT-GENERATION ANTIVIRUS: Fighting HIV/AIDS through Responsible Choices”, was launched as part of a campaign to increase awareness on HIV/AIDS prevention among Filipino youth. Young adults attending public and private schools in Manila, one of the top five cities with the highest incidence of AIDS in the Philippines, were invited to send in entries.

According to a press release on the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines website, “the contest gives teenagers an opportunity to promote the cause through the use of the Internet and multimedia. Youngsters can showcase their talents in producing short videos by uploading their original, theme-related works on YouTube, the largest and most popular video-sharing community.”

Yabes’ video was included among the entries, despite her being a student from Quezon City, not Manila. Her video was finally selected by a three-member jury panel, one of whom is a member of the PLHIV community. “When I submitted my entry, I didn’t know the contest was for Manila high school students only. I was told that there was a chance my entry

UP Debate Society shows strong performance in Bernice P. Varona

The UP Debate Society ranked 10th among 44 teams in the World Universities Peace Invitational Debate (WUPID) 2010.

The tournament was held last December 18-24, 2010 in the Universiti Putra Malaysia in Serdang Selangor, Malaysia.

The UP Diliman team composed of Raymund Victor Vitorio (MA English Studies) and Weston Lee (BS Industrial Engineering) showcased a strong per-formance during the prestigious debating tournament, which included top Ivy League universities such as Oxford, Harvard, Cambridge, Sydney and others.

The WUPID is open only to the top 30 debating institutions around the world, and participation in this competition is by invitation only. Since its inception in 2007, WUPID has become one of the leading debate tournaments in Malaysia and around the world. The objectives of the tournament are to have the best university debaters discuss and argue peace related issues and formulate possible conflict resolutions during debating sessions.

Jemima Grace S. Yabes, accompanied by her parents , during the awarding ceremonies.

wouldn’t be accepted by the board [of judges],” Yabes admits. “I’m thankful that my entry was accepted, because I worked hard at it.”

On November 30, Yabes received a call from UE’s Prof. Cynthia Diaz, one of the contest organizers, informing her that the judges had chosen her entry for the Critic’s Choice award, and that two of them had ranked her video as the best. Yabes received her award in a simple ceremony held at the University of the East in Recto on December 1, 2010. She and a second winner, a 4th year high school student from the University of Santo Tomas who won the People’s Choice Award, each received a P10,000 cash prize.

Yabes’ video, which lasts less than two minutes, smoothly delivers the most crucial

information young people need to know about HIV/AIDS, including the ABCs of AIDS prevention: Abstain from sex, Be faithful, and be Conscious. “I did research on AIDS. I watched documentaries and campaigns about AIDS, which is where I got my idea for the video. I spent more than a week researching for this video, and even asked help from an uncle who is currently studying AIDS at Pittsburgh University,” says Yabes. “From my research, I learned that so many people have become victims of the HIV virus, and they are finding it hard to find acceptance from society. I realized then that this contest isn’t just about the prize, it’s about helping the HIV victims and educating the youth now before the cases of AIDS get worse. I chose to focus on giving information in this video instead

of making it like a music video, because I believe the youth needs this information to understand AIDS better.”

This is Yabes’ second win in an art competition for 2010. Earlier in the year, she won first prize in the high school division of Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corporation’s HELP EARTH - Juan Matipid Drawing Contest, held from July to August 2010.

Her winning entry is featured in the Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corp.’s HELP EARTH-Philippines 2011 calendar, along with the entries of seven other 4th year high school students from UPIS: Patricia Baes, Katricia Loyola, Jireh Kamylle Lachica, Malaya G. Yo, Mary Catherine Llorente, Mayanara Rae Tadeo, and Paul Jason Carolino.

“I believe my talent and interest in art is given to me by God so I can help my country and fellow Filipinos,” says Yabes.

For her part, UPIS principal Dr. Aurora C. Zuniga is proud and glad of their students’ latest achievements. “Their level of motivation is high, such that they would join competitions like this on their own initiative. I asked them about it, and they said that when they learn of a schoolmate winning in such a competition, they are more encouraged to participate.”

She adds that UPIS students have been winning academic contests; and that UPIS varsity teams such as the track team have also been winning competitions in the past few years, despite the lack of training facilities.

“I always tell the students that they have the potential to excel, and that they need to nurture this so that they can demonstrate, not only to themselves and

ISSI holds workshop on entrepreneurship education The current state and important challenges of entrepreneurship training in the country were but some of the vital issues addressed when the UP Institute for Small Scale Industries (UP-ISSI) organized “Teaching a Culture of Entrepreneurship: A Conference-Workshop on Entrepreneurship Education and Training”.

This conference workshop was held on January 11, 2011 at the Teodoro Rm., UP-ISSI, UP Diliman. It drew experts from aca-deme, government and industry to engage audiences and colleagues on the potential future of entrepreneurship in the Philip-pines.

T h e c o n f e r e n c e - wo r k s h o p ’s sizeable audience was welcomed by Prof. Nestor O. Rañeses, UP ISSI Director. Shortly after his remarks, UP president-elect Hon. Alfredo E. Pascual, the conference’s keynote speaker, set the tone for the rest of the day with his speech. Pascual reminded those in attendance of the im-portance of entrepreneurs in communities as job creators and contributors to the economy. He proceeded to cite the many initiatives of the ISSI that inculcated the entrepreneurial method and mindset in students. These include the Entrepreneurial Development for Collegiate Education Level (EDCEL) project, and the ISSI’s entrepreneurship

development programs for sectors such as prospective entre-preneurs, small business counselors and cooperatives, among others.

Pascual congratulated the ISSI for organizing the conference and restated UP’s role as the national university in the “pursuit and realization of excellence in entrepreneurship education and training.”

The conference sessions had speakers from a variety of institutions lecture on their topics of expertise. Dr. Oscar O. Torralba, chairperson of CHED’s Tech-nical Panel on Entrepreneurship discussed CHED’s standards on entrepreneurship education and training. He cited the standards stated in CHED’s memorandum order no. 17 series of 2005 and linked them with the actual practices of John Gokongwei as described in the latter’s book, John L. Gokongwei Jr.: The Path of Entrepreneurship, to reveal ideal practices of effective entrepreneurs.

Dr. Elvira A. Zamora from the College of Business Administration, UP Diliman, on the other hand, discussed the import-ance of the management of technology (MOT) for entrepreneurial hopefuls to gain a distinct advantage. She used three case studies to help stress the importance of technology intelligently

utilized as vital to an enterprise’s differentiation and competitiveness.

Dr. Emilina R. Sarreal, professor and coordinator of De L Salle University’s BS Entr e pr eneur ship Pr og ram, explained the history of the program and its current model, which is based on motivating students to be agents of change and cre-ative solutions by “seeking, screening and seizing” opportunities. Prof. Rañeses, on the other hand, presented Global Entrepreneurship Models and talked about the advantages of different systems through-out the world. She underscored the importance of entrepreneurship education in all levels of education.

A young entrepreneur, Ms. Rachelle T. Abordo, narrated the story of Sweetven, a chocolate product she started as a school project in Ateneo de Naga University. Abordo said that her business became more successful after she partnered with the Department of Science and Techno-logy (DOST) and the Department of Trade and Industry.

Through the partner-ship, Abordo has carved out a niche for herself in the Bicol region supplying the only chocolate brand with pili nuts.

Finally UP Diliman Vice-Chancellor

(Continued on page 10)

8 U.P. Newsletter

JANUARY 2011

UPV faculty, UPV Econ students win best concept REPS, and paper in Visayas-wide convention alumni join the A team of BS Economics students Irah Basister (BS Economics II). Their immediate actors in solving the problem of st from the UP Visayas Miag-ao won the winning concept paper, “Positioning coastal resource depletion in the Visayas.

1 Int’l Confab Best Concept Paper Competition in the the Community’s Vital Role in Coastal Through the financial support of UPV recently held 10th Young Economist Resource Management: Sustainability administration, the students were able to on Visayan Art Convention-Visayas Mini-Convention at of the Development of Fisheries in the present their paper in the convention. the University of San Carlos, Cebu City.

Visayas,” discusses the characteristics Dr. Rodelio F. Subade, Professor in and Culture The mini-convention had the theme, that communities should have to enable Economics at the Division of Social Lyncen M. Fernandez

Randy M. Madrid

A faculty member from the UP High School in Iloilo, a University research associate from the Center for West Visayan Studies, and two alumni from the College of Management and Division of Social Sciences were among the paper presenters in the 1st International Conference on Visayan Art and Culture held recently at Cebu City. Prof. Alfredo Diaz joined the panel for Performing Visualities and Gender with his paper entitled Ang Sang-una sa Subong: Presenting the Iloilo Sarswela in Contemporary Times. Dr. Flaudette May Datuin was the moderator. Mr. Randy Madrid presented a paper on Tradition and Transformation of Various Museums in Western Visayas: Exploring the Visayan-ness in Culture and Art Space. Dr. Patrick Flores was the moderator.

Two UPV alumni also made it to the roster of paper presenters. Prof. Lucell Larawan, who is now teaching at Central Philippine University, delivered a paper, The Ilonggo Artistic Tradition in the Works and Lives of Ten Selected Ilonggo Visual Artists in the panel on Visayan Art History and Visual Ethnicities moderated by Dr. Reuben Canete. Prof. Roger Galvan of Western Visayas College of Science and Techno-logy presented a paper, Nito Weaving: Economic and Socio-cultural Activity of the Ati Community in Sitio Nagpana, Barotac Viejo, Iloilo in the panel on Visayan Weaving Tradi-tions moderated

by Prof. Cecilia de la Paz. The 1st International Conference on Visayan Art and Culture, also known as Visayas Biennale 2010, was conceived as the successor of the biannual Visayan Islands Visual Arts Exhibition-Conventions (VIVA EXCon) held since 1990.

It sustains the project of constructing and construing the artistic community of Visayans as part of the move to decentralize art-world power from the metropolitan center in Manila; and to encourage the production and display of more diverse artistic works that speak of social, econo-mic, political, and aesthetic concerns of the “margins”.

Since its inception, it has pushed the need to professionalize stand-ards of exhibitions, workshops, and other forms of artistic knowledge formation and modes of circulation which enable Visayan artists to articulate their own identities and positionalities as members of an interconnected and networked art industry.

The Visayas Biennale 2010 actualized the realization of artistic professionalization by integrating the various globally accepted standards of artistic knowledge-forma-tion and empowerment. The highlight of the event was the formal opening of the Tagbo National Exhibit, a curated artistic show of selected artists nationwide together with the Garbo sa Bisayas Awards, which formally recognized the

“Inclusive Growth: Community-based Approaches on the Development of the Visayas.”

The team was composed of Benedict Mark Carmelita (BS Economics III), Lylve Maliz Zeller (BS Economics II), and Wina

them to effectively manage their coastal resources.

The paper stresses the importance of people taking responsibility for managing their coast, emphasizing that local communities are direct beneficiaries and

Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, served as their team and paper adviser.

They will compete in the nationals to be held on February in Manila. (With sources from Benedict Mark Carmelita).

IFPDS researcher attends short course at the Wageningen UR

Ms. Ruby F. Napata, University Researcher I at the Institute of Fisheries Policy and Development Studies (IFPDS), College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, attended a short course on Ecosystem approach to fisheries: Monitoring and evaluation of resource use and fisheries impact, on November 1 to 19, 2010 at Wageningen UR Centre for Development Innovation, The Netherlands. Ms. Napata is the third researcher from IFPDS to attend a short course in Netherlands this year.

Prof. Marie Frances Nievales, faculty member of the Division of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, also participated in the same training course.

UPV faculty present papers in UP to have a int’l conference on education campus at The for sustainable development Fort (Continued from page 2)

Prof. Cherry Joy Fernandez

Dr. Joy C. Lizada and Prof. Jeanette S. Deslate, faculty members from the UP Visayas College of Management, were among scholars who presented papers at the International Conference for Education for Sustainable Development recently held at the Mongolian State University of Education (MSUE), Ulaan Batar, Mongolia.

Dr. Lizada presented her paper, “Development and Implementation of a Change Project,” which traces the evolution of a change project on ESD with its extension component on solid waste management in Brgy.

Buenavista, Tubungan,Iloilo. Prof.

Deslate, meanwhile, presented her paper, “Educating the Community – a Key to Sustainable Shelter,” which discusses the achievements and drawbacks of a

shelter program for the urban poor , as well as the importance of education to sustain the government’s Community Mortgage Program.

The international conference, sponsored by the MSUE with the Uppsala University of Sweden, aimed at promo-ting education for sustainable d e ve l o p m e n t a m o n g a c a d e m i c institutions around the world. Cosponsors of the conference included the Mongolian National Com-mission for UNESCO, Juulchin World Tours, World Wildlife Fund and the Hustai National Park.

Papers from academic institutions in other countries included those from Sweden (Uppsala University and Lund University), Nepal (Ministry of

extension project,” Sarthou was quoted as saying. He cited a feasibility study for the project conducted earlier by the CBA which found that location affects the motivation or interest of the people in choosing a school.

According to the Philippine Star article, citing VP Sarthou, the 4,300-square meter lot at the Fort was offered for a 25-year lease by the Bases Conversion and Deve-lopment Authority for “very good terms”. A portion of the funds for the project will come from alumni donations, Sarthou said.

During the College centennial celebra-tions recently at the College of Law, Sen. Edgardo Angara, President Emerlinda Roman, and Dean Marvic MVF Leonen all expressed the hope that the Taguig campus would strengthen UP’s mandate as a graduate, research,

JANUARY 2011

U.P. Newsletter 9

UP confers honoris causa on former Chief Justice Puno (Continued from page 2)

socio-economic provisions; and judicial reforms and budget.

Tracing the growth of the country’s republican democracy, Puno said that the representation to the country’s policy-making bodies has left much to be desired. He said that there are sectors which are underrepresented and those which are not represented at all. Among those sectors he identified are indigenous people and Muslims.

He proposed that a better allotment of seats in the legislature be enacted to ensure that the voice of every Filipino be heard in the formulation of the country’s policies.

The problem of representation also goes hand in hand with the conduct of the country’s elections. “Our elections are not issue-oriented. They are more like popularity contests,” he said. Unless better regulations governing political parties and candidates are enacted, only those who are able to fund effective campaigns in the newspapers, radio stations and TV chan-nels will always get the seats in government.

Puno also underscored the need to “empower the many by improving their economic ground.” Unless this is done, “we will always be ruled by a few,” he said. With the country’s worsening social and economic inequality, the former

Chief Magistrate said that it is important to address the needs of the majority of the country if it wants to improve the lives of the majority of its population.

Being an advocate of judicial reform, Puno also highlighted the need to change the manner of appointments in the Judiciary, as well provisions governing its funds. He said that “the judiciary should have an allotment which will be available for automatic release,” ensuring the inde-pendence of its funds from the legislative and the executive branches of govern-ment. This would insulate

members of the judiciary from partisan practices involved in the business of securing appointments and funds from Congress. “Unless we can remove this virus of parti-san politics, molecule by molecule, to dis-infect appointments to our judiciary, our system of checks and balances will never fully work,” he said.

In closing Puno said that his decision to speak on charter change can be likened to a drop in a pond and that he was merely entertaining a thought which, if consi-dered, would have very significant

UP Law kicks off Centennial celebration this year (Continued from page 2)

new Faculty Regent Ida Dalmacio, UP System and UP Diliman officials, past and present officials of the College of Law, faculty members, students, and alumni.

The year 2011 has been declared

by President Benigno Aquino III as “Univer-sity of the Philippines College of Law Cen-tennial Year” by virtue of Presidential Proc-lamation No. 32 on September 9, 2010. Jan-uary 2011 was the College’s centennial month. The celebration explores the theme, “The College of Law and the Challenges to Phi-lippine Law at

the Beginning of the Second Century.”

In the words of Dean Leonen, the college “not only celebrate[s] UP Law’s distinctive history, but also… renew[s] the institution’s commitment as the country’s bastion of legal education.”

Leonen also reiterated the faculty’s role as legal acade-mics and public intellectuals.

Presidential Proclamation No. 32 autho-rizes the creation of the Centennial Com-mission to assist Dean Leonen in planning centennial programs and activities. The members were appointed

UP Law Class 1985 President J. Conrado Castro, Dean Marvic Leonen, and President Roman cut the ribbon to inaugurate the refurbished Office of the Dean at Malcolm Hall.

by President Roman. Sen. Angara serves as chair, Dean Leonen as convenor, and Associate Dean Patricia Salvador Daway as head of the secretariat.

The members include Sen. Franklin Drilon, Sen. Richard Gordon, Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Chief Justice Puno, Justice Ameurfina Melencio Herrera, Justice Flerida Ruth P. Romero, Justice Antonio Carpio, and student government President Guanzon.

The Commission has held seven meetings and has approved the adoption of a UP Law centennial logo, the issuance of commemorative stamps, legal tender and coins, as well as fundraising activities for the UP Law Fund, among others, for 2011. According to its schedule, UP Law will have a full year, including a massive Law Centennial textbook project, more books, a new website, lecture series and conferences, a triathlon, a musical presenta-tion, and a grand alumni homecoming on November 11, 2011.

Also scheduled in April is the groundbreaking of a UP satellite campus in Taguig. UP Law will be a major sponsor of the project through funds sourced from government and donations.

According to President Roman, the campus will also house professional schools in Business Administration, Engineering, and Statistics. Sen. Angara said the campus is expected to produce interdisciplinary experts or new “Filipino renaissance men”, well-versed in the sciences, management, and law.

Dean Leonen described the campus as sitting on a 4,000 square meter

UP, DOST sign MOU for Diliman AGT prototype (Continued from page 1)

coaches that can accommodate 60 passengers each. The transit system will be powered by direct electric current and will be grade-separated, which means that it will be elevated and will not interfere with surface traffic.

In an interview with the UP Newsletter, Vice President for Development Armin B. Sarthou Jr. revealed that the prototype will run on a two-kilometer test track from the National Science Complex to the Shopping Center.

UP’s objective in undertaking this pro-ject, according to Sarthou, is to preserve the integrity of the academic core of the campus. By constructing an alternative mode of transport that is environment-friendly, situated away from the Academic Oval, and less noisy, it is hoped that this will result in a more pedestrian-friendly academic core and will create an atmo-sphere that is more conducive to learning.

In the memoranda, the University is expected to, among others, make all pertinent data available to the DOST; provide technical assistance through the College of Engineering, the College of Architecture, the National Center for Transportation Studies, and the National Institute of Geological Sciences; secure documents and conduct studies required by government agencies, such as the environmental compliance certificate and environmental impact assessment, etc.; and designate the project site.

On the other hand, among DOST’s obligations are: the formulation of the framework and timetable, subject to UP’s approval; the funding of all requisite research and development activities as well as maintenance and operating expenses for the first three years of operation, excluding energy costs; and the development and design of a detailed engineering plan that is in harmony with UP’s existing plans and programs.

10 U.P. Newsletter

JANUARY 2011

President Pascual assumes office February 10 (Continued from page 1)

UP education to maintain democratic access to UP education. In his vision of making UP a great university, he also upholds the value of financial sustainability.

“A great university is a model for good governance to the country it serves. The UP leadership must observe the principles of democratic governance based on collegiality, representation, transparency, predictability, and accountability,” Pascual argued in the vision paper.

Pascual, who has an MBA from UP, has made a name for himself in the AsiaPacific region as a development banker and educator. For 19 years until 2008, he worked at the Asian Development Bank,

where he pursued pioneering projects and institution-building initiatives, thus helping to catalyze investments particularly in the infrastructure and financial sectors. Before his stint at the ADB, Pascual was a finance and business academic at the Asian Institute of Management and the Ateneo de Manila University, a Chemistry instructor in UP, and an investment banker in the Philippines.

Recently, he became lead convener of the Automated Election System (AES) Watch, a multi-sector coalition that monitored the preparation for and conduct of the country’s first ever nationwide poll automation. He was

UP COE holds appreciation dinner for Manuel V. Pangilinan (Continued from page 6)

DZUP; through print media via the UP Newsletter and other UP publications; and through the newly revamped UP COE and UP COE Facebook page.

The second thrust is infrastructure development, particularly the completion of six new buildings being erected in the UP Diliman Engineering Complex—the UP EEEI Building annex, the UP Institute of Civil Engineering complex, the UP MMME Building, the UP IE/ ME Build-ing, the UP Energy and Environmental Engineering Building, and the UP Chemi-cal Engineering Building—as well as the renovation of the ES and GE Depart-ment wing.

The third thrust is to generate relevant and beneficially useful research in engineering under the four broad realms of human concern as prescribed by the Grand Challenges for Engineering Solutions (GRACES) Framework—sustainability, safety and security, health and joy of living. A recent UP COE Faculty Research Conference generated 10 Grand Challenges in research under the ERDT R&D component and the GRACES Framework: Harvesting the Promised Fruits of Engineering S&T (Harvest); Clean Air and Water for All (CAWAL); Utilizing SolarThermal Energy for Power generation and Refrigeration; Re-engineering the Jeepney (Re-Jeep); Rapid Utilization of Systems against Hazards, Emergency and Disaster (RUSHED); lowering the cost of drugs and medical treatment using indigenous materials (Malunggay); Advance Health Informatics (Telemedicine); promoting good govern-ance with efficient processes and services (E-Government); developing learning frameworks to ensure proper delivery of high-quality education (e-learning); and forging and strengthening Public-Private Partnerships.

The fourth thrust is strengthening link-ages through the newly launched Industry and Government Linkage with the Aca-deme Program (IGLAP), which aims to promote partnerships between the UP COE and industry, government, the UP alumni and other organizations for enhan-cing engineering education. The IGLAP Programs

ISSI holds workshop on entrepreneurship education (Continued from page 7)

for Research and Development Dr. Luis G. Sison lectured on UP’s Technopreneur-ship prog ram, instituted in 2005 by the UP-ISSI and the DOST. This partnership seeks to establish technology-based enterprises such as technology business incubators; and to establish linkages bet-ween the industry, academe, and research and development institutions.

Participants were then divided into four parallel sessions to discuss oppor-tunities and challenges in the field. The topics included: curriculum design, instructional material development, learning methodologies and research gaps.

Results of these plenary sessions were summarized and presented by facilitators: Prof. Melchor C. Morandarte from Malayan Colleges, Laguna; Dr. Paz H. Diaz from Roosevelt College; Prof. Julita W. Bokingo from Mindanao State University; and Alice T. Valerio from De La Salle-Dasma-

UP holds testimonial ceremonies for President Roman (Continued from page 3)

include student internships; job fairs; sharing of R&D facilities with indus-try and other partners; faculty internships and the adjunct professors program with industry and other partners; Engineering 197/297 (special topics courses involving field work); support for coursework requirements, and seminars and the Dis-tinguished Alumni Lecture Series.

Dean Matias also reported that, for the first time, the University is fielding a team of students in the 2011 Shell Eco-Mara-thon Asia, which aims to challenge students to design, build and run the ultimate fuel-efficient vehicle.

The E-Kotse of Team UP, which will be unveiled this March, is based on the urban concept design and has a targeted mileage of 65 km per liter, a massive improvement over the usual 10 km per liter. However, despite the P300,000 seed money from UP alumni in Shell Philippines, Team UP still needs an additional P1.5 million for the project.

For his part, Mr. Pangilinan expressed his own appreciation both for the dinner held in his honor, and for the “many contributions that UP and the College

of Engineering has given to Meralco and the group of companies that we manage”—contributions he deems a valuable factor in the success of these companies.

He credits his deepened appreciation and respect for engineering research and development to a recent visit to Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. in Shenzhen, China, half of whose work force consists of engi-neers and scientists doing purely R&D activities that served as a driving force for the success of the company. “It is beco-ming very evident how critical engineering is to the current businesses and to the current challenges that our businesses face —how critical science and engineering are to finding the appropriate solutions to these challenges.”

He reiterated his continued desire for a very productive relationship with UP. He also stressed the importance of the support of academe to industry and his companies in particular, such as input in their plan to convert the Manolo Lopez Development Center in Antipolo into an R&D institution

included special performances from the UPRHS Glee Club, UPLB Choral Ensemble, UPLB Filipiniana Dance Troupe, UPRHS Filipiniana Dance Troupe, and Miss Charisse Dungca.

Messages were delivered by various friends and guest, and UPLB officials presented President Roman with a plaque of appreciation and a gift.

Not to be outdone, UP Mindanao will hold a testimonial ceremony for the President on February 4 at the

Pres. Roman poses with officials from UP Manila during their testimonial dinner for the outgoing president.

JANUARY 2011

U.P. Newsletter 11

Dulaang UP concludes 35th Season with Amphitryon Dulaang UP (DUP), the official theater performing group of UP, will mount Amphitryon, a Roman comedy

by Heinrich von Kleist with Filipino translation by Jerry Respeto and direction

by Jose Estrella. Amphitryon is the fourth and final produc-tion of the DUP for its 35th season.

A tale of love, infidelity and deception, Amphitryon tells the story of Alcmene, a loving and faithful wife whose husband, King Amphitryon of Thebes, goes to bat-tle. Falling in love with Alcmene, the god Jupiter disguises

himself as her long lost husband.

After a night of exceptional happiness transpires between the impos-torhusband and Alcmeme, King Amphitryon returns victorious from battle, and Jupiter suddenly disappears. Would Alcmene recognize the difference?

Would Amphitryon discover the game played on them by the gods?

The cast for the production include Neil Sese, Lex Marcos, Diana Malahay, Wenah Nagales, George de Jesus, Paolo O’Hara, Lucky de Mesa and Natasha

Cabrera. Set designer Lex Marcos, light designer John Batalla, costume designer Raven Ong and sounds designer TJ Ramos lend their talent to the production.

Amphitryon will run from February 16 to March 6, 2011 at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, 2F Palma Hall, UP Diliman from Wednesdays to Fridays at 7 p.m., and at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekends. For tickets, please contact Cherry at 09177500107, or the Dulaang UP Office at 926-1349, 981-8500 local

Climate change adaptation more crucial for RP, says UP scientists (Continued from page 3)

“Bulaklak ng Dila” opens at the Vargas Museum Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo

The UP Jorge B. Vargas Museum, in cooperation with the Drawing Room Gallery, opened “Bulaklak ng Dila” by Rodel Tapaya on December 10, 2010 at the lobby and west wing gallery. It runs until March 5, 2011.

“Bulaklak ng Dila” literally translated is “flower of the tongue.” It is a Filipino idiom-atic expression that means the exaggeration of the truth. In the exhibit, Tapaya inter-prets Filipino speech and folklore in va-rious forms, such as oil and glass painting, sculpture, installation, diorama, mural, drawing, and portraits framed by tin.

Among his works on display are “Balat Kalabaw” (thick-skinned), “Luha ng Buwaya” (crocodile tears), “Alamat ng Bayabas” (the origin of the guava), “Alamat ni Lumawig” (the legend of Lumawig), and “Magwayen,” the Visayan goddess of the sea.

Tapaya is a visual artist working in drawing, painting, sculpture, inter-media

“Ang Mahiwagang Hardin” premieres at UP “Ang Mahiwagang Hardin” (An Opera Tableaux) will have its world premiere performance at the Abelardo Hall in UP Diliman on Jan. 31. The musical, written by Professor Emeritus Ramon Santos of the UP College of Music, will be directed by Prof. Roselle Pineda.

The musical is set in 1964 and follows the story of its protagonist, Ligaya, and her friends, who happen to be flowers.

Featuring visual design by Teta Tulay and musical direction by Christopher Borela, “Ang Mahiwagang Hardin” promises to be a visual and musical journey across the real and the surreal, illustrating that truth, love and beauty transcend time, place and form.

The premiere production will feature some of the most celebrated performers and talents in the country today including the UP Madrigal Singers, the UP Dance Company, and Coro de Sta. Cecilia; and solo artists Jesper Mercado, Mary Jane Egloso, Biance Camille Lopez, Kitbielle Pagui, and Ervin Lumauag, among others. (Jerome Carlo R. Paunan/Philippine Information Agency)

Faustino-Eslava

Vice President for Development Armin B. Sarthou Jr. (left) in a conversation with Rodel Tapaya while viewing “Alamat ni Lumawig.”

and installations. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from UP Diliman and took further studies in drawing and

painting at the University of Art and De-sign and at the Parsons School of

Philippine Humanities Review edition on local theater out Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc

With a tertulla-inspired program, the College of Arts and Letters (CAL) of UP Diliman (UPD) launched the latest issue of the Philippine Humanities Reviewon December 9 at UPD’s Balai Kalinaw.

The issue is the culmination of a two-year celebration of two localized Spanish theater forms: the komedya and the zarzuela, festivals of which were organized by the University in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Scholarly papers written for the international conferences that were held as part of the festivals were collected and featured in the journal.

These included works by National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario, Prof.

Ramon Santos, Prof. Nicanor Tiongson, Prof. Priscelina Patajo-Legasto, and Prof. Resil Mojares.

The double issue is edited by Prof.

Gonzalo Campoamor II, with the assistance of Prof. Aurea Brigino, Prof. Maria Corazon Castro, Prof. Ruth Jordana Pison, and Prof. Sir Anril Tiatco. Tiatco was project leader of the two festivals.

In their speeches during the launch, both Almario and Tiongson expressed the hope that more festivals will be held for local theater forms, that these be held in more pla-

ces in the country, with more performing groups invited, so that these theater forms will continue to thrive. Tiongson added that in revitalization efforts, theater groups should work to refine the form, assimilate current realities, and consciously strive for relevance. Almario highlighted his argument that the theater forms, although originally borrowed, have been indigenized. He encouraged the submission of feedback to the journal articles to enliven discourse on these art forms.

The launch was also graced by the presence of a pillar of komedya, Hermie Hernandez of Paranaque. He expressed his thanks to the University for the renewed interest in this theater form and the hope that komedya groups of the country will continue staging komedyas as they do in Paranaque, where these have been used to build community cooperation.

The launch also served as a reunion of UP cultural scholars who were involved in organizing the two festivals.

Performances were rendered by talents from the San Dionisio Komedya group of Paranaque, the Barasoain Kalinangan

“In some areas,” Faustino-Eslava relates to the UP Newsletter, “the amount of rainfall experienced was 700 times more than the 30-year average for the same period (January 1-18). So the drainage systems in these areas were unable to cope with such a volume. In other areas, the steepness of the slopes and the quality of the rock and soil caused landslides.”

The paper is based on surveys commissioned by the Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development-DOST (PCIERDDOST), and made by Faustino-Eslava and her colleagues in the aftermath of the weather system.

Faustino-Eslava and her colleagues conclude the paper with the recommendation to develop and enhance disaster risk management programs at the local community level, especially in high risk areas considering “a possibility that similar weather disturbances can become more frequent.”

In an interview with UP Newsletter, co-author Prof. Carla Dimalanta of the RWG added that similar studies on Typhoon Ondoy and Typhoon Peping, which ravaged the Luzon in late 2009, have also been prepared by the group and submitted to the journals for publication. “It is important that we have a record of these events for use by scientists.”

She added that aside from studying these events in the interest of academic documentation, going around the country has revealed to them different levels of awareness of climate change and its implications.

“With different levels of awareness you have different levels of preparedness within the communities,” Dimalanta noted. “The grassroots level is the most important, because you are able to talk directly to the people affected.”

Faustino-Eslava adds that the RWG has been trying to reach out to the communities by bringing experts from PAGASA, DOST and other concerned agencies to talk about climate change.

“We also have brochures that explain what climate change is, what to do in case of flooding, landslides and typhoons, and brochures that outline what families and communities need to do.”

“Our goal, at least, is to help communities come up with their disaster risk

12 U.P. Newsletter

JANUARY 2011

UP Swimmer strikes gold in ASEAN University Games Record-breaking swimmer Ken Uy from the University of the Philippines added another feather to his cap as he brought home the gold medal from the 15th ASEAN University Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The games were held from December 15-23 and attracted the region’s best university athletes from eleven countries, namely: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam.

A total of 18 sports disciplines were contested in the biennial regional university meet, which included athletics, badminton, basketball, beach and indoor volleyball, cricket, football, golf, karatedo, taekwondo, swimming, table tennis and lawn tennis.

Fresh from helping the UP tankers bag a double championship in the UAAP swimming competition, Uy lorded over the men’s 50-meter freestyle. In the

process, he joined fellow gold medal winners Johansen Aguilar (DLSU, men’s 200-meter backstroke), Denjylie Cordero (ADMU, women’s 200-meter breastroke), Jayson Tubid (ADMU, men’s bowling singles), and Izel Masungsong (UST, women’s tae kwon do, lightweight division). The Philippines finished with a respectable tally of 5 golds, 4 silvers and 26 bronzes to finish fifth in the tournament overall.

The swimmers from the Philippine contingent performed the best in terms of the medal haul, garnering 3 golds, 1 silver, and 6 bronzes. Uy and Aguilar were parti-cular standouts as they set new AUG re-cords for men’s 50-meter freestyle (23.75) and men’s 200-meter backstroke ( 2:10.52), respectively. A victory over acclaimed swimmer Daniel Bego of Malaysia made the triumph even sweeter for Uy. The Philippine tae kwon do team

also did the country proud as they hauled in 1 gold and 10 bronze medals. The bowling contingent followed closely by winning a gold and a bronze, while the athletics team garnered 3 silvers and 7 bronzes.

By tournament’s end, Thailand was crowned overall champion with a total tal-ly of 169 medals, which included 58 golds. They were followed by Indonesia and Malaysia, which nabbed 147 and 117 total medals, respectively. A fifthplace finish by the Philippines is one better than the count-ry’s finish at the 14th edition of the meet, where former tae kwon do Olympian Mary Antoinette Rivero led medal-winners from tae kwon do, athletics and swimming to 8 golds, 12 silvers and 21 bronzes.

The ASEAN University games began in 1980 as a consequence of political, economic and social cooperation among member countries. The games are held

Fighting Maroons coach appointed Camille Dela Rosa

Coach Dandan

In an effort to boost the performance of the men’s basketball team, UP recently appointed coaching veteran Enrique “Ricky” Dandan as head coach of the

Fighting Maroons.

Dandan, who played for the Fighting Maroons from 1981 to 1985, is counted on to turn around the team’s losing streak in the recent UAAP seasons. That the team makes it to the UAAP Final Four in the next three years is one of Dandan’s tasks.

The Maroons are expected to play the visiting Busan National University (BNU) squad of Korea on January 24.

Dandan has started strengthening the Maroon’s composition in preparation for the game against BNU as well as for the upcoming UAAP season. “We actually have a training pool of about 18 players right now. From this pool, and together with our recruits, we shall form our 2011 line-up hopefully by early February,” he said. Among players Dandan recruited are Nigerian player Alingco Emba and West Negros trans-feree Raul Suyod.

Prior to his appointment, Dandan was the basketball program director for Ateneo de Manila University, where he was also assistant coach for three seasons.

He was head coach of University of St. La Salle, Bacolod for six seasons.

Dandan also served as assistant coach in the Phi-lippine Basketball Association teams. He was an assistant with Air21/ Fedex and is currently an assistant with the Powerade Tigers.

Dandan thinks the Fighting Maroons have a lot of potential and hopes that a new mindset will boost morale and performance in the UAAP 74th Season.

“Once our players embrace the change in culture, then this group of individuals will finally evolve into a team. A team that will be a source of pride and joy for the whole UP Community,” he said.

UP footballers on a threegame winning streak Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo

Last year’s cellar dwellers are at the top of their game.

Looking to recover the crown that was theirs two years ago, the Maroon foot-ballers have scored three straight victories on the pitch in the 73rd season of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines. They shocked title-holders Far Eastern University Tamaraws in the opening game on January 16, 2-1.

The solid UP defense prevented the defending champion from scoring a goal until early in the last ten minutes of regulation time. However, it was not enough to end the match at a draw.

Former best striker, best scorer, and back-to-back most valuable player in the junior division of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and now UP rookie Gerardo Valmayor proved his mettle when he scored the first goal in the first half and banked a penalty kick three minutes into the second half.

Three days later, UP battled it out with event host, Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU). Maroon team captain Nathan Octavio secured one point for UP early in the second half and dealt the Blue Eagles their second loss this season.

On January 23, the UP booters went head-to-head with the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers at the ADMU Erenchun Field. Valmayor kicked in the one winning goal for the Fighting Maroons in the second half of the match.

As of this writing, UP has yet to play against the University of the East and De

“Marine Chromatography” exhibit opened at UPV Art Gallery Anna Razel L. Ramirez

As part of the Paskua celebrations of UP Visayas, a one-man exhibit by Dr. Dennis Tolentino Aguirre. “Marine Chromatography,” was opened at the UPV Art Gallery. Chancellor Minda J. Formacion and ABS-CBN Iloilo Station Manager Chari Ginete-Ilon were the guests of honor during the opening of the exhibit held last December.

The exhibit, curated by Prof. Vicente Tan, presents underwater scenes in Aguirre’s signature prism of colors through the combination of acrylic, metallic and gels. Aguir re is an ophthalmologist by profession as well as a scuba-diving enthusiast.

U.P. Newsletter jose wendell p. capili Editor-in-Chief francis paolo quina Managing Editor ma. Mercedes G. planta Associate Editor thelma E. arambulo Consulting Editor camille dela rosa, andre encarnacion, CEleste anne castillo llaneta, jo. florendo b. lontoc, KIM Quilinguing, Arlyn VCD P. Romualdo, Bernice p. varona Writers Bong Arboleda, misael bacani, Jun Madrid Photographers Rod P. Fajardo III 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, and students. Please