UP Newsletter March 2012 by University of the Philippines

U.P. Newsletter 1

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University of the Philippines Community Newspaper V O L U M E X X XIII

NUMBER 3

MARCH 2 0 12

DILIMAN, QUEZON CITY

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

‘The Philippines is a biological hotspot’ – Gosliner Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo

Photos courtesy of Prof. Terrence Gosliner

Five of the 50 new species of nudibranchs discovered by Gosliner and his team during the expedition.

The “hottest of the hotspots.” The “center of the center.” These were the terms with which Prof. Terrence Gosliner, dean of Science and Research Collections at the California Academy of Sciences (CAS), described the Philippines during his lecture on the 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Expedition at UP Diliman (UPD) last February 9. Gosliner and his CAS team conducted the marine and terrestrial expedition with

UP scientists, researchers and students last year from April 26 to June 8, mostly on the island of Luzon. According to Gosliner, new species were discovered during “almost every dive and hike” and that the number of these new species may be in the hundreds. While cataloging and documenting of specimens are still ongoing at the CAS, Gosliner said during his lecture that there were “many new records of octocorals

‘Kapihan’ on ethics and public service UP Los Baños (UPLB) organized a “Kapihan” with President Alfredo Pascual last February 8 at the UPLB College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Auditorium. The Kapihan focused its discussion on ethics and public service. Pascual said that as a secular university, it is “the responsibility of UP to be able to come up with our standards of our secular ethics.” He added that “there are meeting points” since “ethics are based on natural law.” Pascual said he plans to develop

courses or parts of certain courses in the general education program that shall discuss issues of moral standards. In everyday life, according to Pascual, we rely on our values hoping that these values are based on solid ground. “Values can also be based on money. Some people have values designed to produce more wealth, others more glory or popularity, but in our case,” said Pascual, “the common good is the strong foundation of our ethical behavior.” UPLB Chancellor Rex Cr uz said

2012 UP Artists honored

Photo by Jun Madrid

Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo

“One becomes a true artist not only because of skill and talent, but because of his deep understanding of the human condition, because of his solidarity with the sentiments and aspirations of the nation, and because he keeps his feet on the ground while looking at even the remotest aspects of reality,” UP President Alfredo Pascual said during the awarding ceremony of the UP Arts Productivity System last February 13 at the Executive House, UP Diliman (UPD). The title of UP Artist was conferred on six UPD faculty members. College of Fine Arts (CFA) Dean Florentina Colayco was named UP Artist I along with Prof. Jimmuel Naval and Prof. Helen Yu-Rivera of the College of Arts and Letters (CAL). Prof. Reuel Aguila of CAL and Prof. Olivia Cantor of the College of Mass Communication were named UP Artist II. Finally, Prof. Nestor Vinluan of CFA was

UP links up with Philippine IP ofﬁce to support innovation and technology

that he wished the students to be role (Continued on page 8) models when they leave the university. He added that under Pascual’s leadership, the university will integrate ethics into the curriculum. As stated in the UP charter, he said that UP being a public service university shall develop students as “truly public servants.” Dr. Edna Epifanio Co opened the Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc kapihan with a statement on “the theoretical The results of the latest round of perspective of ethics and public service.” Quoting Donald Menzel, she defined board examinations administered by the ethics as “morality in action.” She cited Professional Regulation Commission three factors that are “crucial and decisive” (PRC) still had UP graduates passing and in the practice of ethics: 1.) ethical topping the examinations in Architecture, reasoning, which is a space for discerning Metallurgical Engineering, Pharmacy and on the “right” and the “wrong”; 2) ethics in Physical and Occupational Therapy. In Architecture, 38 of the 38 examinees action, which is realized with the presence from UP Diliman (UPD) passed, beating of efficiency, efficacy and economy; and 3.) moral agency or exemplary leadership the national average of 50.83 percent. Two of the two takers from UP Mindanao which “breathes life to ethics in action.” Dr. William Padolina, former deputy (UPMin) also passed. Sudarshan Varsovia Khadka Jr. tied director general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), presented his with a student of University of San Carlos take on ethics and public service in relation for No. 1. The other top ten placers from to the research and development sector. UP were Maria Francesca Salido Latay, No. “Without new knowledge, there can be 2; Kim Patrick Legaspi Pullante, No. 3; no new wealth,” said Padolina. He added Marinel Landeta Siega, No. 4; Paul Henrick that we “have to ameliorate the human Martinez Letana, No. 5; and Carlo Richfield condition through knowledge.” The ethical Bayona Gonzales and Walfrido Carlos issues he discussed related to research were Simbul, both No. 7. In Metallurgical Engineering, five of authorship, peer review (gray literature), data management, research misconduct the five examinees from UPD passed. (such as fabrication, falsification and There were only eight takers and only six plagiarism), and biomedical research (with passers nationwide. In Pharmacy, 34 of the 34 examinees animals and with human subjects). Prof. Aleli Ester Domingo of CAS from UP Manila passed. The national Institute of Mathematical Sciences and passing average is 51.94 percent. The UPM graduates swept the top 10 Physics, discussed “servant leadership,”

2012 board exam results show UP still ahead

(Continued on page 8)

Prof. Vinluan, UP Artist III

NCPAG organizes series on PublicPrivate Partnerships

Arbeen Acuña

and potential new species,” “many new polychaete annelids,” “at least 30 new species of barnacles,” “one to two new species of echinoids and many new records” and “50 new nudibranch snails” in shallow water research alone. Other research categories in the expedition included deep water research, terrestrial research and animal husbandry. Educational outreach programs and media coverage were also important components of the expedition. Gosliner said that the team wanted to disseminate as much information to a diverse audience as quickly as possible. During the expedition,

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UP Mindanao signs agreement for agro-forestry project in Marilog

UN comment prompts plan for concerted action vs criminal libel

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Photo by Jun Madrid

CU role vital in UP StratPlan drive for leadership—Zamora Eisen Bernard V. Bernardo and Lyncen M. Fernandez

With the new UP Strategic Plan 20112017, UP System officials envisioned UP to be “a great university, taking a leadership role in the development of a globally competitive Philippines.” Vice-President for Development Elvira Zamora discussed the UP System’s plans and programs during the UP Los Baños Strategic Planning Workshop from January 4 to 7 at the Subic Bay Free Port Zone, Olongapo City and during the 2012 UP Visayas Strategic Planning Conference held last February 10 at the Smallville 21 Hotel, Iloilo City. “The vision for UP is anchored on academic excellence and operational excellence,” Zamora said. Under the academic excellence thrust are major areas of concern such as education, research and creative works, and public service. For the operational excellence thrust, initiatives are focused on administrative efficiency and financial sustainability. Zamora said that the new UP administration’s guiding spirit is “One University: One UP,” according to a UPLB report. This requires UP to have a common standard of academic as well as operational excellence and to encourage all units to share resources and services. The UP administration is working on the transformation of UP into a research university, the UPLB report added. Zamora said that this can be achieved

by “developing a culture of research, innovation, and creativity” in the university. The speciﬁc plans under this thrust include: increasing the percentage of graduate students, increasing the number of faculty members with PhDs, enhancement of the International Publications Award (IPA), expansion of the research dissemination awards program, strengthening research collaborations, establishment of new and stronger research units, establishment of the Culture Heritage History Archeology Architecture Ar ts Prog ram and enhancement of the intellectual property (IP) protection. For the education thrust, Zamora told UPLB that the UP system envisioned UP’s students to be “the best and brightest students from across the country, prepared for successful careers and responsive citizenship.” Specific action plans are geared toward the recruitment of the best and brightest students regardless of economic status, implementation of multidimensional and blended learning approaches to pedagogy, improvement of UP’s international quality standing, enhancement of sports development and internationalization of the outlook of faculty and students. The administration also implements programs for more effective public service and the greater visibility of UP. Zamora mentioned during the UPLB meeting that this can be achieved through Padayon

LINKING UP. University of Houston and UP officials listen to Vice-President Gisela Concepcion during a dinner at the Executive House last February 2, after firming up an understanding for cooperation between the two university systems. The UH officials had met with various UP System and constituent university officials to explore specific academic linkages.

UP (an integrated approach to public service), and Pabatid UP, Pabatid Bayan (a comprehensive media and communication program). Zamora emphasized that administrative efﬁciency in the university is best described as “seamless processes, higher levels of productivity, and sound decisionmaking based on accurate and real time information.” The UP administration aims to establish the eUP (an integrated ICT systems and infrastructure); implement the Green UP campaign for more environment-friendly UP campuses; enhance the budget process

and use budget- making as a planning tool; streamline university processes for faster delivery of services such as in human resources and procurement systems and procedures; and enhance personnel benefits toward the recruitment and retention of the best faculty members and staff. Zamora told UPLB that the UP System administration aims for a “reliable and continuous inflow of financial resources.” Zamora enumerated some of the specific plans to secure UP’s financial sustainability. These include continuation of the campaign for increased budget appropriation for UP, (Continued on page 8)

PharmaSeas, PhilHABs projects featured in 2nd OVPPA Research Symposium Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo

Six projects under the PharmaSeas and Philippine Harmful Algal Blooms (PhilHABs) programs were presented during the second installment of the Ofﬁce of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA) Research Symposium Series last February 6 at the National Institute of Physics, UP Diliman (UPD). PharmaSeas is a marine drug discovery program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and UPD Marine Science Institute (MSI). PhilHABs, on the other hand, is an algal bloom management program being implemented by MSI in cooperation with the Philippine Nuclear

Research Institute and with support from the DOST Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development. The presentations were “The Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms in the Philippines” by Prof. Rhodora Azanza of the MSI; “Remote Sensing for HAB Prediction and Early Warning” by Prof. Laura David of MSI; “PharmaSeas’ and PhilHABs’ Initiatives in Genomics” by Prof. Arturo Lluisma of MSI; “Microorganisms and Turrids: Genetics, Molecular Phylogeny and Gene Expression” by Prof. Cynthia Saloma of the UPD National Institute of Molecular

Biology and Biotechnology; “Marine Microorganisms: Characterization and Anti-Infective Potential” by Prof. Maria Auxilia Siringan; and “Pharma from the Seas: Anti-pain peptides, antimicrobial & anti-cancer compounds from Philippine marine organisms” by VPAA and MSI Prof. Gisela Concepcion. According to Azanza, the “excessive growth of microscopic or macroscopic algae that dominates a local planktonic or benthic community” and is known in layman’s term as “red tide” is harmful. HABs result in “toxin accumulation” that, in turn, leads to ﬁsh kills because of

UP links up with Philippine IP ofﬁce to support innovation and technology Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc ultimately result in increased IP creation, protection and commercialization in the local community.” IPOPHL Director General Ricardo Blancaflor and UP President Alfredo Pascual signed the memorandum of

agreement, with IPOPHL Deputy Director General Andrew Michael Ong and UP Vice-President for Development Elvira Zamora as witnesses. The ITSO project in UP is expected to be completed by the end of the year, the contract says. Photo by Bong Arboleda

UP and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) signed a memorandum of agreement last February 16 in support of the project to open and operate an Innovation and Technology Support Office (ITSO) in the University. An ITSO is expected to support intellectual property (IP) creation by facilitating access to global science and technology information; support IP protection by promoting domestic and globally-competitive innovations; and support IP utilization by assisting commercialization of globally-competitive innovations. The establishment of an ITSO in UP is in line with the IPOPHL’s flagship project with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to establish the first batch of ITSOs with the WIPO providing technical assistance and international linkages to similar initiatives worldwide. The ITSO in UP will benefit from the IP capacity-building interventions of IPOPHL and WIPO “which will

Blancaﬂor and Pascual shake hands after exchanging contracts.

reduced oxygen in the ecosystem. Apart from coastal resources, local economies and public health are also adversely affected by HABs. Because of the emergence of HABs, the PhilHABs program was born. It aims to “understand the critical factors and mechanisms underlying the population dynamics of HAB species in various oceanographic regimes.” Studies undertaken by the PhilHABs program will serve as basis for “monitoring and managing the occurrence, movement, toxicity and environmental effects of various types of HABs.” Azanza reported that since MSI began working on HABs in 2000, it is now about to go into the last phase of the program from 2012 to 2015 and involves the refinement of R&D and technology development, and finally, technology transfer. Among the milestones in the past three years of the program she mentioned are the culture of 11 HAB species and 202 bacteria; Association of Official Analytical Chemists International approval; and the creation of hydrodynamic, residence time, circulation and remote sensing-based models of study areas. David picked up where Azanza left off and elaborated on remote sensing and other models as support systems for HABs management in the country. One tool they used to make a model is the Infinity ME, a multi-wavelength excitation fluorescence photometer. She said that it “has effectively led to the rapid assessment and visualization of impact sites and provides detailed information on the overall spatial and temporal distribution of Pbc [[Pyrodinium Pyrodinium bahamense var. compressum compressum]] with minimal effort and time.” Pbc is an organism that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning. (Continued on page 6)

march 2012

UP’s social networks BALITANG UNYON ALL-UP ACADEMIC EMPLOYEES UNION getting wider and Pagpapalakas ng unyon KIM Quilinguing stronger In September 2011, the UP Newsletter had an article on the university’s social media networks and how these have been maximized by the UP System Information Ofﬁce (SIO) in information dissemination and mobilization of members of the UP community. The SIO has since used social media to enhance its information dissemination capability beyond the university website (http://up.edu.ph/) and printed materials such as the UP Newsletter and UP Forum. The UP System Facebook community pag e (http://www.facebook.com/ upsystem) had 16,969 fans, with 172 photo albums and at least 1,000 photos in September 2011. The university’s Twitter account (https://twitter.com/upsystem m) had 8,532 followers with news organizations, government agencies and other educational institutions among them. Meanwhile in Youtube, the university’s channel (https:// www.youtube.com/user/upsysteminfo) had 62 subscribers, 4,339 channel views and 10,905 total upload views. UP’s Facebook page now has 22,133 fans with at least 340 albums and more than 3,000 photos of UP-related activities. The posts on the page include news items on UP activities, research and alumni. Announcements on university programs and policies are also posted on the wall. According to the Insights statistics of the page, about 58 percent of the fans are males, while 42 percent are females. About 27 percent of the fans are also women between 18-24 years old while 20 percent are males between 18-24 years old. Over 20,000 of the fans are from the Philippines, with over 6,300 coming from Quezon City. The university’s Twitter account now has 15,772 followers, with some of its tweets being re-tweeted by news organizations such as the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC), Philippine Daily Inquirer’s Libre and YahooPH. Retweetrank.com (http:// www.retweetrank.com/upsystem/ ) places @upsystem at 97.09 percentile rank or the 108,600th most inﬂuential user on Twitter. Aside from re-tweets, the Twitter account has also been a means by which queries on the university’s programs and policies are also answered, with the account engaging followers from time to time. On Youtube, UP’s channel now has

Naganap ang National Council Meeting ng All-UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU) nitong Marso 3-5 sa Balay Kalinaw, UP Diliman. Ang tema ng pagpupulong na ito ay “Patuloy na Palakasin ang Unyonismo sa Akademikong Sektor.” Tunay na nagkaroon ang nasabing pagpupulong ng pambansang katangian dahil dumating ang mga ipinadalang kinatawan ng mga tsapter mula sa Baguio, Diliman, Manila, Los Baños, Iloilo, Tacloban, Cebu at Mindanao. Nagbahagihan ang mga tsapter ng mga kasalukuyang isyu at usapin na may kinalaman sa kagalingan at karapatan ng faculty at REPS. Nagdiwang ang AUPAEU hinggil sa mga nakamtang tagumpay tulad ng 10 Days Service Recognition Pay (SRP) na inilaban sa pamamagitan ng militanteng pagkilos at panggigiit ng pamunuan at kasapian ng All-UP Workers Alliance. Naging matingkad ang sitwasyong sa maraming pagkakataon ay hindi patas, hindi magkakatugma at arbitraryo ang mga polisiyang ipinapatupad sa magkakaibang kampus hinggil sa mga benepisyo at karapatan ng mga REPS at faculty. Nagbunga rin ang pagbabahagihan ng masiglang talakayan hinggil sa iba’t ibang karanasan sa implementasyon ng mga probisyon sa Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA) sa mga kampus. Lumitaw na magkakaiba ang antas ng pagkilala ng mga administrador sa iba’t ibang kampus sa mga usapin ng union oﬁcial time, representasyon sa mga komite at pagpapatupad ng iba pang mga probisyon sa CNA. Napagkasunduan na ihahapag ang mga ito sa susunod na pulong ng Union-Management Monitoring Committee (UMMC). Malinaw na malayo pang maging realidad ang ideyal ng “One UP” ni Pangulong Alfredo Pascual kung magpapatuloy ang

(Sundan sa pahina 5)

197 subscribers with 20,094 video views. The videos hosted on the channel range from the Centennial Lecture Series from the centennial celebrations of the university to President Alfredo Pascual’s investiture last September and lectures and symposia organized by the Office of the VicePresident for Academic Affairs. Of the channel viewers, 71 percent are males, with 25.3 percent of these viewers between 45-54 years old, while 29 percent of the channel’s viewers are females with 14.6 percent between 45-54 years old. Top viewers are also homegrown with 72.1

Bar Exams 2011: Looking for UP in the Top 10 Rod P. Fajardo III From 1913 to 2011, or within a span of almost one hundred years, the University of the Philippines College of Law has produced 46 topnotchers in the Bar Examinations. That’s more than twice any other law school in the country has ever chalked up. Over the past decade, however, the UP College of Law has landed in the top spot only four times—in 2000 with Eliseo M. Zuñiga Jr., in 2001 with Rodolfo Ma. A. Ponferrada, in 2004 with January A. Sanchez, and in 2005 with Joan de Venecia. In other words, it has been six years since the college has topped the Bar. For an institution that is home to most of the country’s legal eagles, six years is a long dry spell. When the Supreme Court released online the results of the 2011 Bar Examinations last February 29, it wasn’t much of a bombshell anymore when the ﬁrst placer did not come from UP yet again. The

ganitong kalakaran kung kaya’t nagkaisa ang unyon na aktibo itong lalahok sa kasalukuyang plano ng administrasyon na magbuo kapwa ng REPS Manual at ng bagong Faculty Manual para sa buong UP System. Kabilang pa sa mga resolusyon na naaprubahan ay hinggil sa pagsasagawa ng mas malalimang pag-aaral ang All-UP Workers Alliance hinggil sa epekto ng planong K to 12 ng pamahalaang Aquino sa UP. Napagkasunduan ding mananawagan ang unyon sa administrasyon na magkaroon ng call for promotions sa lalong madaling panahon. Bilang panghuli, sa darating na mga buwan ay maglulunsad ng instructors’ training para sa mga modyul na pangedukasyon ng unyon upang mas masigla nang makapagsagawa ng kampanyang pang-edukasyon sa lahat ng mga tsapter ng unyon. Patuloy naman ang panawagan ng AUPAEU sa mga kasapi ng unyon na kunin na ang kanilang libreng accident insurance card sa opisina ng kanilang mga unyon. (Sa Diliman ay sa Rm. 102, Vinzons Hall.) Samantala, ang unyon, kasama ang AllUP Womens Solidarity, ay nagsagawa ng serye ng mga aktibidad sa mga komunidad ng UP campus. Naging tampok ang usapin ng pang-ekonomiyang kalagayan na kung saan ay direktang apektado ang kababaihan sa maralitang lugar. Sa pagpapatuloy ng talakayan ay lumutang ang maraming problema. Kabilang dito ang diskriminasyon sa pagpapasahod at benepisyo, pangaabusong sekswal at ang hindi pagkilala ng international magna carta on women’s rights rights, at ang lahat ng ito ay matiyagang sinuri at tinukoy ang pinagmumulan. Marami ang natuwa at naliwanagan. Sa pagtatapos ay hinikayat

real shocker was UP’s not being in the Top 10 at all. The last time this happened was in 1984, or 28 years ago. The following day, the news headlines were invariably set in a confounded, even mordant, tone: “Bar Exams 2011 results released, where’s UP?” But more than where, the appropriate question is probably why. Does it have to do with the changes introduced by Supreme Court Associate Justice Roberto A. Abad, chairperson of the 2011 Bar Committee? For the ﬁrst time in 98 years, the bar exams last year were divided in two parts—the ﬁrst part consisted of multiple choice questions comprising 60 percent of the total average, and the second part consisted of essay questions comprising 40 percent. It used to be purely essay questions. Were UP students, known for their critical and analytical minds, not prepared for the

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percent of these being men and 27.9 percent women. Viewers from the United States placed second with 39.2 percent being males and 60 percent being female. Other top viewers hail from Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Saudi Arabia, India, Australia, Sweden and Japan. In Google+, UP’s page (https://plus.

google.com/u/0/10285423798952 6165492/posts) has 1,635 Google +

users who have +1’d the page, of which 1,476 have decided to add the page to their circles. Among those which have added the university’s page are higher educational institutions in the US such as Princeton University, Stanford University, Yale University, Columbia University and Harvard University. News organizations, such as the Manila Bulletin, GMA 7 and TV 5, also follow the university’s G+ account. These social media accounts have enabled the university to reach more members of its community and communicate with them on UP’s activities, issues and concerns. They have also allowed the SIO to effectively disseminate infor mation on UP units from UP Baguio to UP Mindanao, in the event of emergencies. In the coming months, the SIO, with the support of the Ofﬁce of the VicePresident for Public Affairs and the Ofﬁce of the President, plans to launch a new UP System website which will integrate these social networks with the university’s website ( http://up.edu.ph/ ), paving the way for a more dynamic, effective and responsive network of information dissemination for the members of the UP community and the country.

U.P. Newsletter 3 FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT UP

OVPPF releases 20112012 UP statistics UP continues to be a leading graduate university with its 409 graduate programs out of its 657 academic programs for Academic Year (AY) 2011-2012, official statistics from the Office of the Vice-President for Planning and Finance (OVPPF) reveal. UP Diliman (UPD) still has the most number of graduate programs at 199, versus 127 undergraduate programs; followed by UP Los Baños, 97, vs 29; UP Manila (UPM), 55, vs 26; UP Open University (UPOU), 22, vs 2; UP Visayas (UPV), 21, vs 28; UP Cebu (UPC), 10, vs 15; UP Baguio (UPB), 3, vs 12; and UP Mindanao (UPMin), 2, vs 9. In addition, UPD offers 55 doctoral programs; UPLB, 29; UPM, 8; UPV, 2; and UPOU, 2, or a total of 96 doctoral programs system-wide. Based on AY 2011-2012 first semester enrolment, there were 7,592 students under the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP). There are different tuition levels for each bracket in the constituent universities (CUs), but reduced fees begin at Bracket C under the new alphabetic bracketing scheme. Those in Bracket E2 pay no tuition, miscellaneous and laboratory fees, and are given P12,000 stipend. A total 7,579 students qualified under Brackets C to E2, only 480 of whom fell under Bracket E2. A total 1,310 qualified under Bracket E1, 2,755 under Bracket D and 3,034 under Bracket C. There are 41,991 undergraduate students in UP. UPD has 17,789; UPLB, 10,756; UPM, 5,062; UPV, 3,601; UPB, 2,391; UPMin, 950; UPC, 866; and UPOU, 576. The majority (49.1 percent) are enrolled in Science and Engineering courses; 17.5 percent in Social Sciences; 17.2 percent in Arts and Letters; 7.6 percent in Management; 3.6 percent in Agriculture and Fisheries; 3.3 percent in Education; and 1.7 percent in Law. Only 10,414 are graduate students, with 5,596 enrolled in UPD; 1,941 in UPOU; 1,305 in UPLB; 781 in UPM; 418 in UPV; 193 in UPC; 137 in UPB; and 43 in UPMin. The majority (32.1 percent) are enrolled in Science and Engineering courses; 19.9 percent in Social Sciences; 19.1 percent in Education; 16.9 percent in Management; 9.4 percent in Arts and Letters; and 2.6 percent in Agriculture and Fisheries. The majority of UP students are from the National Capital Region (35.3 percent) and from Region IV-A or Calabarzon (24.7 percent). Foreign students constitute 1.1 percent at 599. As of July 1, 2011, UP has 4,571 regular and non-regular faculty members. About 36 percent have master’s degrees and 26 percent have doctoral degrees as their highest educational attainment. As of September 2011, the UPMPhilippine General Hospital has rendered laboratory test services to 2,232,146 recipients and a total of 440,856 patients. As of October 2010, several units have been declared centers of excellence (COEs) and development (CODs) for specific number of years. UPD has COEs in Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Information Technology, Marine Science, Mathematics, Molecular Biology, Physics and Statistics; UPLB in Agricultural Engineering, Agriculture, Biology, Chemistry, Forestry, Information Technology, Mathematics and Veterinary Medicine; UPM in Medicine and Nursing; and UPC in Information Technology. Declared CODs were UPLB in Environmental Science and Statistics; UPV in Biology and Marine Science; UPMin (Continued on page 10)

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University officials lay down comprehensive plan for UPLB UP Los Baños (UPLB) Chancellor Rex Victor Cruz and other officials, including former UPLB Chancellor Luis Rey Velasco, have drawn up a comprehensive plan for UPLB during the 2012 Strategic Planning Workshop held from January 4 to 7 in Subic Bay, Olongapo City. This plan charts the UPLB path for the next four years (20132016), although, according to UPLB officials, the strategies are still tentative pending the results of workshops in various UPLB units. The comprehensive plan is composed of five main areas of concerns: financial efficiency and sustainability, administrative

efficiency, education, public service, and research and creative works. These priority areas were adopted from the UP System’s UP Strategic Plan 2011-2017: The Path to Greatness. Financial efficiency and sustainability

To augment the UPLB budget and to fund campus development programs, the UPLB administration will embark on resource generation. One of the plans is to revitalize the Resource Generation and Development Office (RGDO). The RGDO is a unit under the Ofﬁce of the Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development but its function

The UP National College of Public Administration and Governance’s (NCPAG) Center for Policy and Executive Development (CPED) organized two forums on PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP) as part of a series explaining the dimensions and applications of a partnership which has become central to the Aquino administration’s policies. “Today it is recognized, whether Europe, Asia or in the United States, that Public-Private Partnerships are extremely important for the health of the economy and society,” said CPED Director Dan A. Saguil in his welcome remarks to the ﬁrst forum “Basics of PPP: A Forum on the Public-Private Partnership Framework in the Philippines.” The series of which “Basics of PPP” is a part was organized in celebration of the UP NCPAG’s 60th anniversary. “We wanted to share this discussion on Public-Private Partnership which is now very much an integral part of our discourse and discussions in Public Administration and Governance,” NCPAG Dean Edna Estefania Co said. The Basics of PPP

The ﬁrst forum in the series “Basics of PPP” featured two experts who spoke both on the background and current status of PPP, as well as the possible changes that current policies could undergo in the future. Director Eleazar Ricote of the PPP Center, an attached agency under the National Economic Development Authority, made the presentation “Inclusive Growth through Properly Prepared Projects.” Ricote said that there have been three stages of private sector engagement by the government: the ﬁrst wave which occurred post-Marcos involving the divestment of all business assets deemed non-essential for governance, the second wave from the late ‘80s to the early ‘90s which saw the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law and its amendment in 1994, and finally the third and current phase which expanded coverage from traditional to non-traditional infrastructure. In addition to highlighting the typical PPP options, such as lease contracts, concessions joint ventures and the like, and detailing the variants of BOTs, Ricote explained the legal framework which underlies the country’s current PPP initiatives, including RA 7718 or the Amended BOT Law and RA 7161 or the Local Government Code of the Philippines 1991. “A social contract with the Filipino people” was how Ricote described the current PPP Agenda. He also stressed the “indispensible role” of the private sector as a “partners in development”. “PPP Policy Reviews: Possible Amendments and Modifications” by Director-General Romulo Emmanuel Miral of the House of Representatives Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) revealed the complexity found in partnerships between

is still to be refined since its creation. The RGDO will take the lead in the resource-generation initiatives of UPLB. Its advisory board is comprised of the vice chancellors for planning and development, administration, community affairs, and research and extension, a legal consultant, and the director of the UPLB Foundation Inc. UPLB officials will look into how the said unit will complement the Business Affairs Office. The university will also intensify efforts to commercialize its mature technologies and institutionalize consultancy and laboratory services, not just to generate income but also

Andre Encarnacion

UP Vice-President for Development Elvira Zamora answers questions about the suitability of PPP for state universities and colleges with fellow panelists President Ruben Sevilleja of CLSU and Terry Ridon of the LFS, as the event host, Vice-President for Public Affairs Prospero De Vera, looks on.

different sectors involving players with different aims. Miral mentioned the different stakeholders in PPP projects such as concessionaires, lenders, equity investors, contractors, users and the government; and pointed out the fact that these entities come into the project with different motivations, leading to the complicated nature of many ventures. Miral then quoted a study by G.W.EB. van Herpen, revealing that while PPPs offered good value for money, they were also prone to the dangers of increased transaction costs, higher capital costs, hold up problems, and a culture gap between the two sectors. “There can be no PPP without risksharing and an approach that takes overall account of the infrastructure and services in a transparent and stable contract drawn up within the framework of stable, appropriate and respected legislation,” said Miral, quoting van Herpen. He also added the issues and challenges faced by PPP in the country which are to be found in the lack of technical, legal and ﬁnancial expertise in government agencies; red tape, multiple permits and various taxes by the government; nontransparent backroom negotiations; and others. After proposing important steps the country could take to move forward, Miral revealed the Proposed Amendments to the BOT Law (RA 7718). The technical working groups involved in the amendments met on July 19 and August 17 last year and featured several organizations from both the public and private sectors. The amendments included several redeﬁnitions of terms, specified national priority projects that are up for competitive bidding, and set conditions for public disclosure and noncompliance. PPPs and SUCs

The applicability of PPP to State Universities and Colleges (SUCS) was the topic of discussion of the second forum on Public-Private Partnerships held last February 28 at the NCPAG Assembly Hall.

Titled “Beneficial or Detrimental: Is Public Private Partnership a Suitable Policy for SUCs?” the forum featured three experts who spoke on their experiences with PPPs: UP Vice-President for Development Elvira Zamora, Central Luzon State University (CLSU) President Ruben Sevilleja, and League of Filipino Students Chairperson Terry Ridon. The forum was hosted by UP Vice-President J. Prospero de Vera III and conducted with a more interactive format, similar to that of a talk show. De Vera gave a summary of the challenges of financing higher education, specifically the public financing of SUCs. He noted that despite the creation of SUCs over the past decade in an attempt to make education more accessible was made without planning for an integrated system of higher education. This practice, when combined with the refusal of the Congress and the President to observe a moratorium rationalizing SUC creation, has dissipated the resources available for higher education and reduced the share of each SUC in the higher education budget. Instead, under RA 8292, the governing boards of SUCs are given the power to enter into joint ventures with business and industry – the proceeds are to be used for the strengthening of the college of university. Commercialization of Education or of Assets?

“Any type of activity that involves participation by the private sector could qualify under PPP,” said Zamora when the panel was asked what exactly was meant by the term PPP in the context of SUCs. She also gave the Shopping Center, the canteens located in the various colleges, the presence of Via Mare in the GT-Toyota Asian Center Building, the UP-Ayala Technohub and the East Campus Development Project as popular examples of PPP that students of the University would be easily familiar with. For Zamora, two parties where one has an asset that the other one does not can strike a win-win arrangement that can (Continued on page 5)

Photo by Jun Madrid

NCPAG organizes series on PPP

Jo Ann A. Oruga

to maximize other beneﬁts while minimizing costs and delays in research implementation. It will also intensify its campaign for alumni donations by identifying priority projects that will encourage alumni support and create the mechanisms for such endeavors. Administrative efﬁciency

The university will undergo a re-tooling process to boost the skills of its administrative staff . Its officials will find ways to increase available budgets while reducing the cost of university operations and capital outlay. Plans include sharing of resources (faculty, facilities, and laboratories), construction of centralized laboratories, and the establishment of an integrated academic/convention building. The university will also focus on reducing energy consumption. To achieve this goal, UPLB will make use of alternative energy sources, design and retrofit buildings with energy efficient fixtures, implement benefit sharing in energy savings to motivate energy conservation among staff, retrofit pumping stations with automatic water pumps, lay underground electric lines, and rehabilitate existing electric lines. UPLB also aims to reduce the volume of water produced in pumping stations by rehabilitating water lines and fixtures and encouraging water recycling. It will also look into ways to hasten the processing of documents for new appointments, renewal of appointments, and procurement. UPLB will also improve its information technology (IT) system to give the UPLB community a better and more efficient IT service. Education

University officials plan to transform UPLB into a world class university. Towards this end, the administration will establish a cultural and student welfare development program, doctoral fellowship for the faculty, and thesis support for faculty members who are pursuing graduate studies, as well as support for ISI journal publication, workshops and seminars on faculty welfare, and undergraduate scholarships. Besides upgrading classrooms and facilities, UPLB will also estrablish the School of Didactics to further enhance University instruction. Public service

UPLB seeks to step up its commitment to serve its nearby communities and constituents. It will establish the UP Public Service Ofﬁce that will enhance the UPLB Ugnayan ng Pahinungod by including the UP System’s Padayon mandate which promotes an integrated approach to public service including a comprehensive media and communication program. A web portal dedicated to public service will also be set up. The University will strengthen its internal and external dissemination and promotions program through a strategic information campaign that will use the web portal, mass and community media, social marketing and social mobilization, and development of communication support materials. The University will develop a system that will generate information and strengthen linkages with partners and stakeholders to determine how best to deliver services to the public. UPLB will also take a more proactive stance on public issues by mobilizing its pool of experts in response to various public demands for technical assistance. It will establish a mobile animal and plant production and health program, form quick response teams (QRTs) to address speciﬁc needs and concerns in times of emergencies and calamities, provide technical assistance to agencies in the implementation of national programs, and strengthen its partnership with local government units. (Continued on page 5)

march 2012

Pascual meets with Iloilo business community

BALITANG UNYON

(Mula sa pahina 3)

na maging bahagi sila ng malakihang pagkilos noong Marso 8 sa paggunita ng pandaigdigang araw ng kababaihan. Sinimulan nang i-renovate renovate ang opisina ng All-UP Workers National na matatagpuan sa JP Laurel St. corner A. Roces street, katapat ng UP Post Ofﬁce. Ang nasabing proyektong renovation ay pinondohan ng ACT Teachers Partylist sa pangunguna ni Rep. Antonio “Tonchi” Tinio. Nagkakahalaga ito ng P1.8 milyon. Sinimulan ang pagkumpuni nitong ika-23 ng Enero at matatapos sa buwan ng Abril ng taong kasalukuyan. Batay sa tantos ng DPWH ang nasabing pondo ay hindi sasapat upang ganap na maayos ang interior interior,, katulad ng paglalagay ng tiles, tiles pintura at iba pa. Ngunit tinitiyak na ito ay magiging operational o magagamit na, habang hinahanapan pa ito ng karagdagang pondo. Malapit nang ipagdiwang ang silver anniversar y ng unyon sa darating na Setyembre ng taong kasalukuyan. Bahagi ng pagdiriwang ang pagsasagawa ng serye

UP Mindanao signs agreement for agro-forestry project in Marilog UP Mindanao (UPMin) and Kennemer Foods International have signed a joint venture agreement for the development of a portion of the UPMin Marilog Land Reservation in Davao City. The agreement was signed last February 20 in line with the

17th Anniversary of UPMin. The agreement was signed by Kennemer Foods President Simon Bakker and UPMin Chancellor Gilda Rivero, and witnessed by ofﬁcials of UPMin and the City Agriculturist’s Ofﬁce. Photo courtesy of Rene Estremera

UP President Alfredo Pascual met with Iloilo City officials and members of the Iloilo business community through the Kapihan last February 28 at the Hotel del Rio, Iloilo City. In his message, Pascual assured the Iloilo business community that the university is their partner in stimulating the growth of the economy. He also told them that he is willing to listen to the challenges that face the business community in Iloilo so that UP will know how to respond. Iloilo city mayor Jed Mabilog reported in the Kapihan the P50 billion worth of new investments that have come to Iloilo in recent years. He also highlighted the city’s recent accomplishments. Present in the Kapihan were Ramon Cua Locsin, president, Federation of Filipino Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Panay; Victoria Jarantilla, president, Bankers Association of Iloilo; Antonio Jon, member, board of trustees, Iloilo Business Club; Franklin Lopez, member, board of trustees, Taytay sa Kauswagan, Inc.; Herminio Maravilla, chairman, Chamber of Real Estate Builders Association; Valerie Maravilla, president, Ilonggo Producers Association (IPA); Jessraf Palmares, chairman, Iloilo Federation for Information Technology, Inc. (IFIT); Ric Provido of the Agri-Business Sector; Atty. Cyril Regalado, president, UP Alumni Association; Prudencio Relano, vicechairman, Iloilo City Trade and Investment Promotions Board; Alfred Tayo III of the Bankers Association of Iloilo; Felix Tiu, chairman, Iloilo City Trade and Investment Promotions Board; and Felipe Uygongco, president, Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Iloilo, Inc. UP Visayas officials, faculty and staff who attended were Chancellor Rommel Espinosa, Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affiars Emilia Yap, Vice-Chancellor for Planning and Development Evelyn Belleza, Vice-Chancellor for Research and Extension Ricardo Babaran; Dr. Jose Peralta, director, Institute of Fisheries Policy and Development Studies, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences; Prof. Dominique Maquiran, director, Office of Continuing Education and Pahinungod Pahinungod; Anna Razel Ramirez; and Genna Serofia. The Kapihan, a public service project of UP, is a regular forum for the discussion of issues relevant to the development of the nation. ((Anna Razel L. Ramirez)

U.P. Newsletter 5

Datu George Velo of Sitio Ladi-an, Marilog District, Davao City welcomes VP for Development Elvira Zamora, Chancellor Gilda Rivero, and Architect Christopher Espina to UP Mindanao’s Marilog-Arakan Land Reservation.

NCPAG organizes series on PPP (Continued from page 4)

count as a PPP. “We have a wide range of sample PPP projects,” added Sevilleja, whose university is noted for agricultural and biotechnological innovation. “One of our most successful projects is the technology transfer and dissemination of the product of our research on tilapia genetic improvement.” Sevilleja narrated the success of CLSU in partnering with the private sector in their agri-based income generating projects. When funding from the government stopped with the completion of production processes, they partnered with accredited private hatcheries which used the breeders developed by CLSU, and in turn paid R&D fees to fund further research and the information dissemination initiatives of the university. On commercializing education, Ridon advised the audience to distinguish between normal PPPs such as small business contracts and the Aquino administration’s notion of large-scale PPPs like UP-Ayala Technohub– the latter being used according to Ridon as an excuse for government to abandon its responsibility to adequately fund SUCs. “PPP is an add-on or supplement, not a replacement for government subsidy of higher education,” he clariﬁed. “Sa tingin ko (in my view)¸ UP cannot engage in commercialization of education,” added Zamora. “Education is one thing and resource generation is another thing. Resource generation must always be in support of education.” Zamora explained the two thrusts of UP President Alfredo Pascual’s administration – academic and operational excellence, with the former being the main focus.

Operational excellence however is vital in creating “an enabling environment within which academic excellence could be pursued.” One important part of operational excellence, according to Zamora, is ﬁnancial sustainability. Though she noted that UP would never give up fighting for government support, she added that “we must be able to use our land grants to supplement what the government provides.”

ng lecture na may kinalaman sa mga bagay sa pagpapahusay at pagiging mahusay na unyonista. Ito ay katatampukan ng mga sumusunod: basehang kurso ng unyonismo; ang unyon at ang lipunang Pilipino; leadership training para sa paghahanda dito; abanteng kurso para sa mga kasalukuyang lider. Ito ay dadaluhan ng mga kalahok mula sa pitong CUs ng UP System, at kung kakayanin ay makapagpresenta ng mga sikat

na produkto mula sa mga rehiyon ng ating CUs. Inaasahang tatagal ang selebrasyon nang pitong araw dahil isasabay dito ang taunang National Council Meeting at ang pasinaya ng bagong opisina. Ito ay upang makatipid. Itinatag ang All-UP Workers Union, noong taong 1987. Nakadalawang subok ito sa Certiﬁcation Elections at sa huli ay nanaig.

Intellectual Property and Limited Resources

Many other themes and aspects of PPP were tackled in the forum, including the issue of intellectual property, the importance of which was first pinpointed by Ridon. Sevilleja noted the contribution of a well-trained team versed in the nuances of IP policy to the success of CLSU. Zamora noted that UP was only now understanding the concept of intellectual property and how to protect and nurture it. This led to the creation of the Technology Tranfer and Business Development Office of the UP System. She also noted that PPP must not be a framework for SUCs, but merely an option. When asked how an SUC with very little land and a filled-up campus could hope to increase its funds, she noted that SUCs are sources of knowledge, and said “you can print books, do research, design and formulate new pedagogies, and maybe offer your programs the distance mode.” “First, you need highly creative people because limited resources should not be a stumbling block because every SUC is rich in intellectual property. You don’t need land; you don’t need a lot of resources to generate intellectual property.”

Kennemer Foods is in the business of contract-farming and has the technology, management expertise and marketing capability required to plant, cultivate, harvest, market and export agricultural crops. It intends to be a partner in the development of the land reservation through the establishment of an agroforestry plantation for cacao and other crops, which will be consistent with the existing tenurial instruments over the area, and will avoid conversion of existing forests or cutting of naturally-growing trees. The joint venture agreement (JVA) is for 25 years and will cover an area of 2,000 hectares, with development to begin within a 350hectare area. The JVA is consistent with the development plans for the UPMin Marilog Land Reservation as UPMin is its steward. This Public Private Partnership (PPP) will address UPMin’s mandate and simultaneously help improve the lives of the indigenous communities in the area through a cacao plantation project. The partnership will be one of the contributions of UPMin to economic upliftment, UP being a public service university. Rivero also thanked the City Agriculturist’s Ofﬁce for their initiative in being the link between UPMin and Kennemer Foods. This project is in support of the City Government Upland Agro-Forestry Project and the National Greening Program of the Philippine government. UPMin will share the revenues and other beneﬁts from KFI’s agro-forestry development, part of which will go to UPMin’s sharing agreement with the OvuManuvu tribe or tenurial rights holder in the land reservation. UPMin also pledged to make research facilities or technical experts available if necessary, recommend residents of communities within the land reservations for employment to the project, and assist the tribe in securing the approval of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples of their Free and Prior Informed Consent. The Marilog-Arakan Land Reservation was reserved for UPMin through Presidential Proclamation 1253 signed in 1995 by President Fidel Ramos.

University ofﬁcials lay down comprehensive plan for UPLB (Continued from page 4)

UPLB will make its voice heard even more through a comprehensive communication and media plan. It will also strengthen the ofﬁces which deal with students, alumni, and communities. Research and creative works

To transform UPLB into a research university, policies and programs that increase the percentage of graduate students and the number of faculty with PhDs will be developed. The university also plans to increase the number of UPLB research and academic staff participation in the International Publications Award (IPA). Moreover, UPLB will expand its research dissemination program, strengthen its research collaborations, create new and stronger research units, and establish the Culture Heritage History Archeology Architecture Arts Program (CHHAAAP). UPLB also aims to enhance its intellectual property protection by strengthening the capabilities of the Technology Transfer and Business Development Ofﬁce, undertaking an information dissemination campaign on the UP policy on the protection and management of intellectual property rights.

6 U.P. Newsletter

march 2012

Angara calls for specialized lawyers Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc

scholars from practicing in the country or Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta teaching credited courses. The Philippine “While it is good to set personal legal profession including schools fear goals for yourself, you should always international competition, Angara said. He keep an open mind, because in life, you urged UP Law to lead in forging linkages always hear the cliché: the only constant with foreign law schools. is change.” Angara is chair of the UP Law Centennial Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, executive Commission, which is helping the college director of the Department of Science raise funds. During his lecture, he also and Technology’s Philippine Council reported on the progress of donations for Health Research and Development to the UP Law Centennial Fund, which (DOST-PCHRD), shared these words now total P1,130,172,550. This includes of wisdom with 255 graduating UP donations from businessmen and friends of students with summa cum laude or magna Ramon Ang and Roberto Ongpin; alumni cum laude standing during the joint 30th senators led by Angara, Senators Franklin Scholars’ Recognition Convocation of Drilon and Juan Ponce Enrile; the Bases three international honor societies—Phi Conversion and Development Authority; Kappa Phi, Pi Gamma Mu and Phi and UP Law alumni and friends. Sigma—held last January 30 at the

Photo courtesy of UPV-IPO

After recalling the history of the UP law school, Sen. Edgardo Angara analyzed the future demands on the legal profession and education in his lecture at the UP College of Law last February 3 in the Malcolm Theater, UP Diliman. His lecture “Examining the role of UP Law,” the 12th lecture to celebrate the college’s centennial, described how its establishment was considered a challenge to the American colonial regime’s misgivings about the Filipinos’ capacity for legal study. But “in the next hundred years, the quickness and sharpness, or rather as we lawyers would say, the celerity and acuity, of UP lawyers would become legendary.” This ability was used in a tradition of public service, “which continues to this day, in all the branches of government,” Angara said. He continued: “The college also produced notable leaders outside the legal profession: in the police, education, the arts, in a wide array of businesses and even religion.” After praising the college and its alumni, Angara then challenged them to adapt to new developments in the legal profession. One of these is specialization, which “has put the great generalists to the side.” Angara quoted a 2010Financial Times Global Education Report: “In today’s world, a ‘SupermanReport lawyer’—one who knows everything about anything (or at least claims to)—is viewed with skepticism and disregarded in favor of the specialist.” Angara also mentioned the economic crisis of 2008 as a major challenge that has left many business organizations to forego legal budgets. Another challenge is the digitalization of legal knowledge and its accessibility to non-lawyers. Thus, lawyers must expand into other fields. “There is no way to fight this trend but to extend the same mental strengths required to master law to other fields as well,” Angara said. He cited Harvard and Yale which have established programs for legal students to earn joint degrees in other professional schools, including those abroad. Angara said that Philippine legal schools have been “impervious” to these developments, adding that the Philippine legal profession is averse to “foreign entanglements.” It disallows foreign legal

Three international honor societies recognize top UP seniors for 2012

NISMED Auditorium, UP Diliman. Montoya, who delivered the inspirational message, gave as an example his own career path, which took him from his dream of being a practicing doctor and teaching at the UP College of Medicine, to doing research, and finally becoming executive director of the DOST-PCHRD. He described his career as a “winding one—I only figured out what I really wanted in life at the end, not at the beginning.” In addition to keeping an open mind, he urged the students to be prepared to fail, to rise up, to learn from our mistakes and failures, and to build on opportunities for better things to do, and to follow their heart’s desires in order to pursue their goals. “UP provided you with all the tools and the work environment. It’s up to you to harness, develop and enhance your fields through hard work, smart work, determination, and most importantly, lifelong learning.” He also urged the students to pursue research, particularly research that would contribute to the country’s development in the new knowledge economy. “I hope you realize that our country needs you and your talents. You graduated from the country’s premier university, the national university, the research university. The country needs what you have to offer more than ever.” For this year’s graduating class, 35 USC Chair Christian Sorongon (left) welcomes students and UPV officials to the consultation. students who have shown academic excellence in the biological sciences were

UPV SC chair lauds student consultation with UPV admin Lyncen M. Fernandez The students’ consultation with the UP Visayas (UPV) administration remains a good “venue to air out our concerns, not to divide us but to build us as one community,” said Christian Sorongon, chairperson of the UPV Student Council (2011-2012) during his opening remarks at the said event last February 9 at the audiovisual hall of the Pidlaoan Bldg., Hall, Miagao campus. Chancellor Rommel Espinosa led the officials of the administration with the Vice-Chancellors, namely, Prof. Encarnacion Emilia Santos-Yap (Academic Affairs), Prof. Nestor Yunque (Administration), and Prof. Ricardo

Babaran (Research and Extension). ViceChancellor for Planning and Development Evelyn Belleza was in Iloilo City to meet with UP Vice-President for Development Elvira A. Zamora. S t u d e n t s r a i s e d t h e f o l l ow i n g issues during the open forum: how the administration will ensure that plans to build buildings in the campus will push through despite budget cuts; the need to improve existing facilities; the transfer of the College of Management in Miagao; security issues inside the campus; and projects and programs of the university that have improved the lives of the people.

(Continued on page 10)

Espinosa briefed the students about current projects of UPV, including projects to make UPV more student-friendly. These include the construction of more study nooks and low cost housing for faculty, staff and students using utilizing the bamboo that grows abundantly on campus; improving the graduation area and installing a track ﬁeld therein; reviving the bowling lane; and construction of a swimming pool especially for PE classes. Espinosa told the students that he sleeps at the UPV executive house every Mondays and Thursdays, and that they can always bring their concerns to his attention.

PharmaSeas, PhilHABs projects featured in 2nd OVPPA Research Symposium (Continued from page 2)

For the development of early warning systems, David and her team used satellite ocean color imagery, which shows potential algal blooms. She concluded that using this technology can be used “to advise a locality whether or not to monitor outside the regular monitoring of BFAR for the monthly shellﬁsh bulletin.” Hydrodynamic models and site characterization, meanwhile, have revealed that long residence times of waters in bays make them susceptible to harmful algae build-up. Lluisma discussed genomics in both the PhilHABs and PharmaSeas programs. In the former, genomics and molecular genetics are used to “illuminate various facets of dinoflagellate biology” such as “bacterial endosymbionts identified through metagenomics, toxin biosynthesis, phylogeny and strain discrimination, population structure and connectivity, and genomic peculiarities.” In the latter, genomics and molecular genetics are used to “facilitate the discovery of bioactive compounds from marine sponges” and includes “DNA barcoding of sponges,

identiﬁcation of bacterial endosymbionts, and discovery of biosynthetic genes through whole-genome sequencing.” In the PhilHABs program, Lluisma concluded the following based on the results of genomics and molecular genetics studies thus far: “partial genome sequence yield[ed] multiple types of data—bacterial symbionts, genes involved in various metabolic pathways, genes involved in saxitoxin biosynthesis, and genetic markers (microsatellites); hypothesis that the saxitoxin biosynthetic pathway in dinoflagellates is similar to that in cyanobacteria is supported; similarity of putative sxt genes to bacterial homologs highlights the need to identify source of each gene (host vs. symbiont) and to evaluate role of endosymbionts in saxitoxin production.” Saloma, in her presentation about PharmaSeas Project Five, said that they expect the following output: at least 100 good complementary DNA (cDNA) sequences with open reading frames (ORFs) for marine microorganism (MMO)

drug synthesis genes, at least 100 good cDNA sequences with ORFs for turrid peptide genes, at least 100 good DNA sequences for MMO phylogeny and resulting phylogenetic trees, at least 100 good DNA sequences for turrid phylogeny and resulting phylogenetic trees, and two gene expression constructs. In the area of genetics, samples of different turrid snails were collected around the country to be screened for toxin peptides which may have pharmacological impacts similar to conotoxins or toxins from cone snails. Molecular phylogeny, Saloma explained, is the establishment of relationships between organisms of closelyrelated species using “generally conserved molecular markers.” In this area, they aim to contribute to knowledge of Conoidean biodiversity and used three mitochondrial gene markers in phylogenetic analysis. Using the 12S gene marker, they were able to generate 41 good sequences. For the 16S marker, they came up with 23, and for the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI)

molecular marker, they had 41 good

sequences.

Siringan talked about PharmaSeas Project Two and reported on accomplishing its two objectives. First is the characterization of three to six anti-infective MMOs per year with the expected output of a dataset on phenotypic traits of 1017 MMOs with anti-infective potential. She said their actual output of 24 exceeded the maximum expected output of 17. The second objective is the optimization of culture conditions with the following expected output: (1) formulation of culture media for production of MMO-derived anti-infective agents; (2) optimized physicochemical conditions; and (3) improved yield of MMO-derived anti-infective agents. Their actual output for these items are: (1) appropriate minimal medium was determined; (2) optimum pH, sodium chloride, carbon, and nitrogen sources concentrations were determined; and (3) improved the yield of actinomycin D in a bioreactor set up. The last presenter was Concepcion, who talked about the expected output (Continued on page 7)

march 2012

U.P. Newsletter 7

UPLB as center of Calabarzon cinematic art Arbeen Acuña

PELIKUL2RA: The CALABARZON Film Festival opened last February 22 at the DL Umali Auditorium in UPLB. It was organized by the Department of Humanities’s (DHUM) media arts division pelikuLAB, in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the UPLB Ofﬁce for Inititatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA) and Canon. UPLB Vice-Chancellor for Administration Maria Cristeta Cuaresma read Chancellor Rex Cruz’s message in which he noted that while UPLB’s main thrust remains in the sciences, culture and the arts have a rightful place in the university. Ogie Sanchez of the Ofﬁce of the Mayor, Dean Zita Albacea of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Prof. Jerry R. Yapo of DHUM delivered the opening remarks. Sanchez expressed the Mayor’s support for the activity. Yapo said that the festival would be a threeday visual feast. OICA Director Maria Teresa Arejola said that the Southern Tagalog Arts Festival that began last February was on its 3rd week, and PELIKUL2RA was categorized under the “Usbong,” or new media art forms. Other categories in the month-long Southern Tagalog Arts Festival included Biswal (the visual arts like drawing, painting, printmaking, etc.), Lilok (the plastic arts (sculpture, pottery/ceramics, etc.), Balay (the applied arts including weaving, embroidery, fashion design, interior design, architecture, etc.), Sulat (written works including poetry, prose,

Photo by El Bacani

First transgender UPD Student Council chair elected

Diño talks during a debate prior to the USC elections.

PharmaSeas, PhilHABs projects featured in 2nd (Continued from page 6) OVPPA Research Symposium of the PharmaSeas program: anti-pain peptides from turrids and anti-infective compounds from MMOs. She said there were many challenges in drug discovery from turrid snails because there is a large number of unidentiﬁed species, this type of snail mostly lives in deep tropical waters, turrid snails are smaller than cone and auger snails, and the search for new drugs requires a greater number of specimens for peptide purification. Concepcion described their methodology as consisting of molecular phylogeny and cDNA library construction. For coming up with anti-infective compounds, sponge-associated MMOs

were collected in different parts of the Philippines. Their methodology also includes microbial isolation and culture, bioactivity screening, and chemical puriﬁcation and characterization. According to Concepcion, this part of the PharmaSeas program was able to get the following results: 16 pure compounds from priority MMOs and MS and H-NMR data have been obtained for nine compounds. The OVPAA Research Symposium Series is a monthly activity that aims to disseminate information about UP’s research endeavors to the public. According to the OVPAA, it will be conducted in UP campuses nationwide.

In a historic moment in Philippine campus politics, an openly-transgender student was elected chairperson of the University Student Council (USC) of UP Diliman. Heart Diño of UP Alyansa ng Mga Mag-aaral Para sa Panlipunang K atwiran at K aunlaran (ALYANSA) bested three other candidates for the highest post of the USC. According to Tinig ng Plaridel, the official publication Plaridel of the UP College of Mass Communication, Diño had a total of 3,290 votes out of the 11, 352 votes counted for the USC chair, edging out independent candidate Martin Loon who had 2,743 votes. Diño graduated magna cum laude in BS Mathematics and is currently an MS Applied Mathematics Major in Finance student. Diño is also an incumbent USC councilor, heading the USC Committee on Gender and was the number one councilor in last year’s USC elections. Along with Diño, another transgender candidate of UP ALYANSA, Pat Bringas, a third year Film Major, ranked second in the councilor race. Bringas and Diño are members of UP Babaylan, the first LGBT student organization in the countr y, which coincidentally is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. They follow in the footsteps of National Youth Commission (NYC) Commissioner-at-large Percival Cendaña, who in 1997 became the first openly-gay chairperson of the USC, and Carmen Hinayon who was the first elected transgender woman USC councilor in 2002. ((Miel Ferris, EnGendeRights, Inc.)

academic research, etc.), and Tanghal (the performative arts including theatre, music, dance, oral traditions and rituals). Arejola said filmmaking is among the fields of the arts that has not been given attention prior to PELIKUL2RA, which aims to foster camaraderie with and among filmmakers in CALABARZON. Prof. Katrina Ross Tan, the festival director, said that the theme for Pelikultura’s 2nd year was “Sinesamin,” which focused on stories from our locales, communities and hometowns. She said that she hopes young filmmakers would continue to create films, to encourage filmmaking. She also said in an interview that the workshops included in the festival’s program discussed two topics: Digital Cinematography and Filmmaking in the Regions, which focused on film conceptualization and story development, with Gawad Urian awardees Christian Linaban from Cebu and Arnel Mardoquio from Davao, respectively. The Delegates, Tan added, were the makers of the shortlisted films from CALABARZON. The Set A of narratives in competition, winners in the narrative category of Pelikultura 2011, experimental films and films in exhibition were screened in the first day, while documentary films, winners in the documentary category of Pelikultura 2011 and Set B of narratives in competition, were screened the following day, when the workshops also began. The last day started with another session of technical workshop in the morning, followed by a closing ceremony in the evening during which the winners were announced. “Stop. Rewind. Replay. A Love Story that Never Was” directed by Kevin Dayrit of Batangas won the Best Poster award. Richard Lacap of “Sekend,” a film from Laguna, was named Best Actor, while Regina May Martinez of “Luka,” also from Laguna, was Best Actress. The Audience Choice Award in the Experimental Category and Best Film (Experimental) was bagged by the film “Verdad Sobre de Pobreza” directed by Ellyrose Badel and Ma. Clariza R. Alcalde, from Laguna. The Audience Choice Award in the Documentary Category was won by Matt Baguinon who directed “Ang Tao sa Piso,” another film from Laguna, while “Ang Payaso at ang Prinsesa” directed by Kris Ann Dela Pena of Batangas won the Audience Choice Award in the Narrative Category. The same film also won the Best Film (Narrative) award, with “Bingwit” also from Laguna, directed by Matt Baguinon. “Tsarls The Movie,” directed by Kevin Dayrit of Batangas, was named Best Film (Documentary). The last night of PELIKUL2RA ended with an open-air screening of this year’s festival winners in the covered court at the Los Baños town proper, simultaneous with a screening at UPLB’s DL Umali Hall, according to Tan. “Los Baños will host the 5th Cinema Rehiyon,” said Tan. “It’s the flagship project of the NCCA Cinema Committee. It will be a big project for us and for UPLB to host filmmakers from all over the country, given the fact that we neither have a cinematheque nor a degree course on film.” Tan said the planned festival will be national, and films from all the regions will be screened in Los Baños. The previous hosts, she added, were Davao and Bacolod.

8 U.P. Newsletter

march 2012

Ocampo revisits FQS, reaffirms its relevance “in (Marcos’s) direction a paper mache crocodile.” Following the said protest rally where “several persons on both sides were injured” was the so-called Battle of Mendiola of January 30, according to Ocampo. The protesters purshed a firetruck “through Malacañang’s padlocked Gate 4” . When state security forces initially attacked demonstrators with truncheons and teargas (later guns), the protesters responded with “rocks and other projectiles, including Molotov cocktails.” These exchanges of attacks “continued overnight, culminating in the wee hours” of the following day. These events in the first three months of the ‘70s, according to Ocampo, organized the “youth and the allied organizations nationwide.” “There were more teach-ins outside the classrooms of UP, (almost weekly) demonstrations and community organizing.” With an “indelible mark,” the events encapsulating the FQS left a “continuing impact on the nation’s political life.” Ocampo said that the degree of “radicalization” differed, as some were radicalized “fleetingly,” and some

Photo by El Bacani

“Forty-two years ago, we were the youth,” said film and stage director Bonifacio Ilagan, former chairperson of Kabataang Makabayan. He flashed on screen vintage photographs and recollected the days of the First Quarter Storm (FQS) with fellow veterans among the audience, as they celebrated the 42nd anniversary of the FQS. Ilagan introduced Satur Ocampo, the resource speaker for the forum “FQS ’70: Impact on Philippine Politics” sponsored by Anakbayan, CONTEND-UP and the FQS Movement (FQSM) at Claro M. Recto Hall, UP Diliman. Ocampo asked for a moment of silence in remembrance of the FQS martyrs of UP, other schools and the youth from the communities. He began the recollection by revisiting the “big protest rally” of January 26 held during the second state of the nation address of then President Ferdinand Marcos, where rallyists where then identiﬁed with either the “moderate” or the “radical” bloc. Ocampo said that “pandemonium broke” after the protestors fought back against the anti-riot police who had reacted violently after an activist hurled

S.E.A. AS PLACE OF POWER. The UP Center for International Studies, represented by Prof. Merce Planta (left), held a forum on understanding Southeast Asia last January 30 at UP Diliman’s Rizal Hall featuring Historian Damon Woods (right) of UCLA. Woods said that while surface values may come from external cultural inﬂuences, core values pertaining to the animist idea of power still prevail in the Southeast Asian’s day-to-day affairs.

UPMin holds international RTD on peace-building UP Mindanao (UPMin) and its partners in peace-building research organized their first international conference on “Undercurrents: Imagining a Post-Peace Agreement Period in Mindanao/Roundtable Discussions on Peace building,” last December 1 and 2 in Davao City. The event was organized by the tripartite Hiroshima University Partnership Project for Peace Building and Capacity Development (HiPeC), UPMin Department of Social Sciences (DSS) and South-South Network for Non-State Armed Group Engagement (SSN). They were represented by HiPEC Executive Committee Chairman Professor Osamu Yoshida, UPMin ViceChancellor for Academic Affairs Emma Ruth Bayogan, and SSN Secretary-General Alfredo Lubang. The featured research presentations in the conference were: “Gender and the Armed Struggles in Mindanao” by Dr. Paz Verdades Santos of SSN; “Bangsamoro Peace Building: Possibilities of Hybrid Conflict Resolution Mechanisms” by HiPEC Research Fellow Meg Kagawa; and, “A Formative Case for Generating Concepts and Hypotheses on Interfaces of Indigenous and State Peace-Building and Justice Systems” by Dr. Antonio Moran and Prof. Shangrila Y. Fuentes,

both of UPMin-DSS. Some of the participants and reactors were Dr. Eric Casiño, adjunct lecturer, Hawaii Pacific University; Dr. Abhoud Syed Lingga, professor and executive director, Institute of Bangsamoro Studies; Prof. Ricardo de Ungria, chair, Mindanao Studies Consortium Foundation, Inc.; Atty. Raissa Jajure, consultant on gender issues for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panel; Prof. Rufa Guiam, Mindanao State University-General Santos; Atty. Augusto Gatmaytan, PhD candidate, London School of Economics and Political Science; and Lualhati Abreu, research fellow, Alternate Forum for Research in Mindanao (AFRIM).

“thoroughly.” Gary Olivar and Jerry Barican, who became “spokespersons for two former presidents, both traditional politicians identified with plunder and high-level corruption,” were in the ﬁrst category, while in the second were those who went under “radical rupture” and committed themselves “to the struggle for fundamental change.” Though many in the second category “joined the underground,” “underwent hardships,” but “later decided to lie low,” most “remained wistful of their FQS days.” Pledging support through different means, they “organized Bayan Muna in 1999 and successfully entered the electoral arena in 2001.” “The biggest impact of the FQS on the nation’s politics is that it provided the best and the brightest cadres and activists to the national-democratic (natdem) revolutionary underground movement and the open democratic mass movement,” said Ocampo. He added that social democrats (socdems) were organized “as counterfoil to, the rapidly growing” natdem forces. He said that the socdems advocated a “third way” as the “alternative between the reactionary ruling system and the Left revolutionary path,” but offered no “credible alternative political program,” and collaborated with the ﬁrst Aquino government and “did the same with every succeeding administration, including the hated and discredited MacapagalArroyo regime” and the second Aquino government. The socdems have gained more influence in the current P-Noy government. According to Ocampo, the most potent political force is one that challenges the ruling system, that of the natdems.

Representing progressives across generations and conﬁrming the relevance of the FQS were younger militants. Prof. Choy Pangilinan of the College of Mass Communication said, “It (FQS) was neither a rite of passage nor a spur of the moment, but history.” Vencer Crisostomo and Charisse Bernadine Bañez of Anakbayan said that both of their generations, those of the 1990s and 2000s, respectively, look up to the FQS. Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino said that Juan Ponce Enrile should not be the role model because of his track record, but rather, the FQS veterans Palatino called the “Harry Potter” and the “Peter Pan” of Philippine politics, as the the boys and girls “who lived” and “who would not want to grow up.” The FQS of the ‘70s served as the role model of the “EDSA II babies,” not the NGO-ism of the ‘80s. “The call during those days was not just ‘Marcos resign,’ but ‘down with the system.’ ” Ocampo ended by challenging people to “debunk the view of those who regard it (FQS) as mainly a topic for reminiscences and nostalgia-tripping” and, instead, “proclaim the FQS as an epochal event the impact and validity of which pulsates ever more strongly in the bloodstream of the continuing national-democratic revolutionary struggle.” A short march from the Parks and Wildlife Centre to the Bantayog ng mga Bayani followed, where the relatives of the martyred UP activists gathered in tribute to the activists whose names are carved on the wall of the Bantayog ng mga Bayani, where, in Ocampo’s words, “more names will be enshrined in the Wall of Remembrance” in the coming years.

‘The Philippines is a biological hotspot’ –(Continued Gosliner from page 1) 2012 UP Artists CAS members of the team were blogging and posting photos online. They also talked honored with other scientists and researchers abroad (Continued from page 1)

given the title of UP Artist III. The newly-named UP Artists also delivered messages during the ceremony. Colayco said her family and peers serve as her inspiration. Naval thanked his mentor, the late Rogelio Sicat, as well as his former professor, CAL Dean Elena Mirano. YuRivera, meanwhile, expressed her gratitude to UP and her family. Aguila, who left UP in 1975 and came back in 2000, acknowledged UP’s nurturing atmosphere that encourages the arts to thrive. Cantor said that the award is a validation of artists in the university, especially young members of the faculty. Vinluan said that the Arts Productivity System is an encouraging move by UP. Including this year’s batch, there have been 33 UP Artists named since the awarding of the title started in 2009: 15 UP Artists I; 13 UP Artists II; and ﬁve UP Artists III.

CU role vital in UP StratPlan drive for leadership—Zamora

(Continued from page 2)

master development planning of campuses and land grants, titling of land assets, campaigning for donations, harnessing the provisions of the 2008 UP Charter and intellectual property commercialization. She said that the UP administration hopes for “ﬁnancial sustainability to be achieved by resource generation and administrative efﬁciency, while preserving UP’s public character.” “UP should be delivering the goods to

Arbeen Acuña

be recognized as the national university,” Zamora emphasized at the start of her address at the UPV conference. She pointed out that academic freedom comes with responsibilities. She also stressed that UP needs to optimize its resources given its limited budget and the ever-present threat of budget cuts. She said, “We have been beset by the same old problems for so many years. It’s time to ﬁnd solutions to solve them.”

via Skype, and conducted information campaigns and educational outreach programs in the localities they visited. Media organizations in the Philippines and in the United States covered the expedition. The day after returning to Manila at the end of the expedition, the team held a symposium at UPD. Articles about the expedition appeared in websites of the National Geographic Geographic, New York Times, MSNBC, LiveScience and ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity. Perhaps more significant to the scientific community is the publication of “Description of a new Snake Eel (Pisces: Ophichthidae: Myrichthys) from f the Philippines” by John E. McCosker and Gerald R. Allen in aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology. It is the ﬁrst scientiﬁc paper resulting from the expedition and describes the Myrichthys paleracio, a new species of snake eel named after Peri Paleracio, a Filipino diveguide in Anilao, Batangas who was part of the expedition. Gosliner said that Philippine biodiversity is under threat from factors like pollution, tourism and bad policies. For marine conservation, he recommended reducing marine debris and sedimentation, placing more moorings in popular dive sites, enforcing laws on marine protected areas (MPAs), increasing the size of MPAs and establishing new MPAs in unique habitats. Gosliner said that there must be further studies on Philippine biodiversity and that the 2011 expedition was only the beginning of CAS’s partnership with UP.

march 2012

The UP Asian Center, in cooperation with the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Research and Development, last February 21 launched a new website called “Forging a New Philippine Foreign Policy (FNPFP).” The launch was held at the Hall of Wisdom, GT Toyota Asian Cultural Center. The website hopes to make a contribution not only to policy practitioners but also to scholars and researchers working on international relations and foreign policy studies, as it can serve as a “one-stop-shop” for valuable materials such as documents, research papers, commentaries and links to related organizations and information resources. As part of the UP Open Grants program “Thematic Assessment of Philippine Foreign Relations (TAPFR),” the website also aims to promote open and constructive debates on how regional and global developments impact on the Filipino nation, to provide inputs for policymakers, to help build and expand constituencies for the study of Philippine foreign relations and to create an online databank for students and researchers of Philippine foreign policy. During the launch, TAPFR program head Aileen Baviera invited members of the academe, NGOs, government and other prospective users not only to visit the site but also to apply for membership in order to maximize the benefits the website can offer. These benefits include access to full text research papers and having a platform to publish their own commentaries as well as announce relevant events, projects and publications. Baviera said that membership is free of charge though applicants are asked to submit their curriculum vitae and two essays or papers published, whether in print or electronic format, in the last three years. Non-members will be able to access all information with the exception of the full text versions of research papers. The FNPFP website also has links to relevant research organizations and institutions as well as Filipino bloggers on foreign policy. The website can be accessed at http://philippinesintheworld. org. gg. For inquiries and comments, send an e-mail to fnpfp.upac@gmail.com.

2012 board exam results show UP still ahead (Continued from page 1)

places. Rose Anne Valenzuela Chua was No. 1; Anne Hazel Cu Yu, No. 2; Daryl Martin Espiritu Kayanan, No. 3; Arlyn Joy Garlan Tibi, No. 4; Catherine Diane Samson de Guzman and Therese Camille Herradura Garcia, both No. 5; Katrice Panis Lara, No. 7; Nico Camingal Fabian, No. 8; April Zoe Cappal Abaño, No. 9; and Vince Ian Ramos Martinez, No. 10. In Physical Therapy, all eight examinees from UPM passed. The national passing rate is 50.50 percent. UPM’s Jo Anne Vista Reyes and Rae Anne Sanchez Reyes placed No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. In Occupational Therapy, three of the four examinees from UPM passed. The national passing rate is 37.5 percent. PRC had no listing of the top 10 placers.

UN comment prompts plans for concerted action vs criminal libel Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc

The journalists’ 4 November 2011,” international groups and the lawyer human rights standards were who appealed to the violated in Adonis’s case, among United Nations Human them his right to a lawyer and to Rights Committee be present during the trial. The the case of a Davao View also stated that the penalty journalist imprisoned for of imprisonment for libel was libel in 2005 led a forum excessive and incompatible with last February 17 at the the provisions of ICCPR which UP Law Center in UP limit restrictions to freedom of Diliman aimed at charting expression to respect for the steps to implement the rights or reputations of others UNHRC declaration that and the protection of national the Philippine libel law security, and of public order must be reexamined and health and morals. libel decriminalized. The Philippines is therefore The UN comment under obligation to provide d e c l a r e d t h e l a w Prof. Teodoro speaks during the open forum, while the panelists and emcee Adonis “with an effective remedy, i n c o m p a t i b l e w i t h Sonny Fernandez of NUJP listen. including adequate compensation provisions of the for the time served in prison. The International Covenant on Civil and to make self-regulation work,” Teodoro State Party (the Philippines) is also under Political Rights (ICCPR). It also asked the said at the end of his talk. Self-regulation an obligation to take steps to prevent Philippines as an ICCPR signatory to report entails the reactivation and strengthening similar violations occurring in the future, within 180 days the steps it had taken to of self-regulatory mechanisms such as including by reviewing the relevant libel review the libel law and to compensate the press councils and media-monitoring legislation.” journalist for time served in prison. organizations. Also present during the round table Lawyers and media practitioners Teodoro said it was also necessary for were representatives from the Department advocating freedom of infor mation media advocacy and journalists’ groups to of Justice, the Commission on Human gathered in a roundtable discussion improve media literacy among the public so Rights, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster organized by UP’s Institute of International that it can effectively monitor the media and ng Pilipinas, Vera files, the Philippine Legal Studies, headed by Prof. Harry Roque demand media compliance with their own Center for Investigative Journalism, Jr., in cooperation with the National Union professional and ethical standards. CMFR, the office of Rep. Erin Tañada, the of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP). NUJP Secretary-General Rowena government radio and television station, They agreed to engage other sectors Paraan agreed and proposed that media and bloggers. in decriminalizing libel and to seek an groups work for a bill decriminalizing audience with the Department of Justice libel, and intensify their training media and Congress. practitioners for responsible reporting. Roque, who filed the complaint with the Broadcaster Alexander Adonis said UNHRC in behalf of Davao broadcaster he considered his job a commitment as Alexander Adonis who had already served well as a profession. Adonis was sued for (Continued from page 1) two years of a four year sentence for libel, libel by former congressman Prospero received the UNHRC comment last January Nograles for reading on air a report about starting with the essence of the Oblation, 26 through a transmittal dated January a scandalous event allegedly involving the often “perceived as a symbol of academic 10. The comment had been adopted by congressman. Roque said Adonis was freedom” but “often misunderstood.” She UNHRC as early as October 26 last year. convicted in absentia and despite his not said that the oblation’s spirit of sacrifice Prof. Luis Teodoro of the UP College having any lawyer. He was imprisoned in is “the very powerful antidote to the of Mass Communication and the Center for the Davao Penal Colony, where he served alarming sense of entitlement among Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) two years. Roque filed the complaint before the 21st century generation of teachers” stressed the importance of strengthening the UNHRC in 2008 with Adonis, NUJP and that educators are not mere subject the capacity of media practitioners and CMFR as co-signatories. for self-regulation in the event libel is According to the “Views adopted by the matter specialists. “Rather, we teach who decriminalized. “Media must take steps Committee at its 103rd session, 17 October to we really are,” she said. Quoting from Washington SyCip’s Centennial lecture, she said that “the greatness of a university is always measured by its faculty” that “will inspire, not merely instruct.” The raison d’etre according to Domingo is to (Contiued from page 3) “lead, live and give.” She ended by singing the last stanza from the Lean Alejandro objective portion? change in the exam format, particularly musical version of “UP naming mahal” Or does it merely confirm what some the incorporation of multiple choice and saying that, “We have to take off our kibitzers have long been insinuating—the questions or MCQs. “It might be that we academic gowns, put ourselves among the decline in the standards of teaching and were not used to answering multiple choice indigenous peoples as we say: Padayon student admission in the country’s premiere questions, since most of the exams that we UP!” law school? That UP Law is no longer took during our stay in UP Law were essay Dr. Rowena Baconguis, director of attracting the best and the brightest? type questions, which trained us to look for Ugnayan ng Pahinungod UPLB, said, There certainly is no shortage of several ways to approach a single problem “Any ethical voluntarism program in opinions, theories, arguments, and instead of just looking for one specific the academic setting has to support the suggestions on the performance of UP Law answer as required in multiple choice trilogy of functions: research, public in last year’s bar examinations. It’s the kind exams,” pointed out Kristin Gail Ochoa. service and institution.” Ethics, she said, of debate that can be endless bordering Juan Antonio E. Arcilla echoed this is basically what is good and what is on the pointless. But it’s easy to see the observation. He said, “It seems that UP’s right. She outlined her discussion with fascination: the UP College of Law has approach to studying law is not aligned with the Why, saying that voluntarism is a long been and still is a frontrunner in legal the specific skill set identified with multiple “foregone solution” for the national education and to see it toppled by other law choice examinations.” university, citing sections 2 and 8 of RA schools is simply too much to ignore for its So did Justine Nicole V. Torres. “The 9500; the What, mentioning technical implications not only on the quality of its change in the format of the examination assistance, upgrading of quality education, graduates, but even more crucially, what was announced relatively late, such that community immersion and other matters it could be saying about the quality of the there wasn’t enough time for the graduating related to the mission, vision and goal training it offers. class to really get used to or feel comfortable of the Pahinungod; and the How, saying Many things have been said about the answering multiple choice questions,” she that durations of service vary, yet “even changes UP Law is going through at the said. “UP people love to argue when faced if the engagement is short, as long as the moment, but who better to shed light on with a legal question but, unfortunately volunteer considers it important, then it these than its own students? Here’s the for us, the skill set required in the MCQ is might influence his propensity to engage intel on how UP Law performed in the different.” in volunteer activity in the future.” Citing Bar Examinations 2011—straight from the Geneflor Santiago has a different take: Paulo Freire, she said that “there should graduates who actually took it and passed. “We lacked proper guidance. Kanya kanya be action and reflection.” She ended by There is of course the issue of the (Continued on page 10) calling on the audience to “engage with Photo by El Bacani

Asian Center launches foreign policy website

U.P. Newsletter 9

‘Kapihan’ on ethics and public service

Bar Exams 2011: Looking for UP in the Top 10

10 U.P. Newsletter Facts and figures about UP (Continued from page 3)

in Information Technology; and UPB in Mathematics. UP’s landholdings total 24,769.33 hectares, only 1,503.50 has. of which are campus areas and 5,121.77 has. are research areas. The UP Statistics is an annual compilation of data from the seven constituent universities and one autonomous college (AC). Data collection and consolidation is done by the Planning Services Division of the UP System Budget Office, OVPPF. Data are provided mainly by the registrars, vice-chancellors for academic affairs, vice-chancellors for research and development/extension and vicechancellors for administration through the Offices of the Chancellors or, in the case of UPC, through the Office of the Dean. The UP System collects and uses these data to fulfill various recurring requirements of other national government offices such as the Department of Budget and Management, Commission on Higher Education, House of Representatives, Senate and Commission on Audit. Inquiries about the data compilation may be directed to the Planning Services Division, UP System Budget Office at Rm. 425, 4/F National Engineering Center, Osmeña corner Agoncillo Streets, UPD Campus, 1101, Quezon City with telephone number (+632) 928-8615 and email address sysbudget@up.edu.ph. It is also in the UP System website www.up.edu.ph (Special Features section.)

Three international honor societies recognize top UP seniors for 2012 (Continued from page 6)

recognize superior scholarship in all fields of study and to elect into membership the highest-ranking students from all branches of learning. Chapter No. 045, the Phi Kappa Phi chapter in the Philippines and one of only two Phi Kappa Phi chapters outside of the US, was established at UP in 1933 by 14 scholarly leaders, four of whom eventually became UP presidents. The Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society’s motto, Philosophia Krateito Photon (“May the love of learning rule humanity”) expresses a goal rather than an accomplishment: the recognition and encouragement of superior scholarship in all academic disciplines, fostering an abiding love of learning. The International Honor Society of Pi Gamma Mu is a non-profit corporation organized to promote social science founded in 1924 by Dean Leroy Allen of Southwestern College and Dean William Hamilton of the College of William and Mary. The Philippines Alpha Chapter, the first in Asia was established in UP in 1932, with an initial core of 11 members. The Society’s motto, Cognoscieties Veritatem Et Veritas Vos Liberabit Liberabit, is translated, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” The Phi Sigma Biological Sciences Honor Society is devoted to the promotion of research and academic excellence in the biological sciences, and charges its members to assume leadership in all activities appropriate to a biologist, to maintain high scholarship, to promote active research among its membership, and to acquaint others with the results

march 2012

SICRMC and UPV continue effort on coastal management Liberty N. Espectato

The Southern Iloilo Coastal Resource Management Council (SICRMC) continues to partner with UP Visayas (UPV) in the effort to preserve, sustain and manage the coastal waters of Southern Iloilo under a new leadership. Mayor Christine Garin of the municipality of Guimbal, Iloilo was recently appointed chairperson of the board of tr ustees of the SICRMC effective January 2012 until June 2013. To assist Garin in the operation of the council is a new executive director in the person of Sangguniang Bayan Member Marlou Garibay, also of Guimbal. The outgoing chair and executive director is

Mayor Vicente Flores of Oton and Pablo Guevara, respectively. A simple turn-over ceremony was held at Racsos, Guimbal, Iloilo, last December 14. On the same occasion, Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor also turned over the ﬁnancial assistance of the provincial government to the ﬁve member-municipalities of SICRMC. Each municipality received a check for P100,000 which can be used to support coastal resource management projects. This is the second year that the council has received financial assistance from the province. Also present in the said event were Dean Carlos Baylon of the

College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS), UP Visayas; Director Jose Peralta of the Institute of Fisheries Policy and Development Studies, (IFPDS- CFOS); Mayor Ninfa Garin of San Joaquin, and other ofﬁcials and representatives from member-LGUs. An alliance comprising the municipalities of Oton, Tigbauan, Guimbal, Miagao and San Joaquin, the SICRMC was created for the purpose of coordinating the efforts of these towns to jointly manage the coastal waters. Since its creation in 2001 and up to the present, UPV’s IFPDS-CFOS has been serving as the Council’s Secretariat.

Bar Exams 2011: Looking for UP in the Top 10 (Continued from page 9)

tayo. Bahala tayo sa buhay natin. In other schools, their examinees were given a schedule to follow in studying or they had this ‘coaching’ thing in groups to make sure everyone is prepared. It seemed they knew what materials to study and how to study them.” For Ma. Lourdes Polido, UP Law graduates could have prepared for the MCQs by attending review classes and mock-bar exercises. “Multiple choice exams require practice, especially for those of us who are used to the essay type of exams,” she said. “I took all the mock-bar exams at the San Sebastian Review Center where lecturers would explain to us the answers afterwards. I really believe that it helped me prepare for and eventually pass the real bar.” But the problem, according to Luis Geronimo, might be deeper and bigger than the lack of preparation for the MCQs. He said that there is the seeming incompatibility between the UP Law curriculum and the Bar exam requirements. “Subjects like Intellectual Property, Banking, Land Titles, and Labor Arbitration make up a signiﬁcant chunk of the Bar Exams coverage but they are mere electives in the UP College of Law,” he said. “Worse, the faulty mechanism for allotting slots in these electives fails to ensure that graduating students are able to take them. And because we had to learn these subjects from scratch, it took from us time that we could have allotted for reviewing for the remainder of the exams coverage.” Another bar examinee, who was in the Top 20 Honors List of UP Law Batch 2011 but requested anonymity, took note of the way some professors in the college have been teaching. Apparently, this student had encountered a number of professors whose teaching methods he ﬁnds disconcerting: “If a Constitutional Law professor is more concerned with advocating atheism and abolishing marriage than discussing the due process clause or police power, how can one expect his students to master the

subject and core concepts which are crucial to most, if not all, other subjects? Or what about a civil law professor who is absent at least 40% of the time and very significantly tardy in the remaining 60%?” He continued: “Or a CrimPro professor who is using OLD codal provisions? Or an Agency and Partnership professor who’d rather read poetry in class, gets his second semester syllabus finished by the second week of January and does NOTHING for the rest of the semester and when asked about the low grades he gave at the end of the semester, he just blankly asks, ‘Sino ang estudyanteng iyon? Hindi ko kilala iyon eh’.” Yet, despite these difficulties, the UP Law graduates of 2011 managed a passing rate of 94 percent, or 141 passers out of 150 takers—quite an impressive figure, especially when compared to the previous year’s 80 percent. Or when compared to other law schools that registered higher passing rate but fielded less than 30 examinees. In other words, no one from UP Law may have made it to the top ten this year, but almost everyone passed. What to make of this conundrum? “The MCQ portion was supposed to test three levels of competence—recall, analysis, and application,” pointed out Ma. Carmela Salazar. “I think UP students scored well with the analysis and application questions because they require the kind of thinking process that is similar to essay questions, which we are used to. But our scores may have been pulled down by our performance in the recall questions because we are not used to them. So, I think, we raked in enough points to pass the Bar but not enough to place in the Top 10.” Torres said that emphasis should be placed on the objective of the change in the exam format, which was to measure a basic working knowledge of the law. “And, if our 94 percent passing rate is any indication, UP Law graduates have shown that they have satisfied the objective,” she said. “In that sense, it more than makes up for our supposed lackluster performance

of all worthy achievements in biological ﬁelds. Phi Sigma was founded at the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, in 1915, while the Alpha Chi Chapter was installed at UP in 1949. The society’s motto, Aletheia Ek Tes Ges, is translated as: “Truth shall spring out of the earth and righteousness shall look down from heaven” (Psalm 85:11). The ﬁrst cooperative effort among the three honor societies was a convocation honoring outstanding senior students

held January 21, 1983, at Malcolm hall, College of Law. This year marks the 30th convocation sponsored by the three international honor societies giving recognition and honor to outstanding UP seniors. It is hoped that recognition of exemplary seniors will help achieve the objectives of these societies, encourage the honorees to continue to strive for excellence in all their endeavors, and serve as models for emulation by other students.

in the Top 10.” Ryan Oliva said critics easily and conveniently forget that, “despite the changes in the Bar exams, our batch was able to cope well. We can’t have it all. Would you rather have UP get all the slots in the top ten but get only a measly 60 percent or 70 percent passing rate?” Indeed, said Arcilla, “Higher passing percentage means better collective performance, as opposed to individual excellence which the bar does not really measure.” “For most people, the Top 10 is a big deal. They only take notice of what schools topped the Bar. They don’t care about how many passers came from which school,” said Polido. “But for those of us who took the Bar, given the countless difﬁculties that we had to hurdle, what matters most is that we passed.” Put another way, Paulyn May Duman said, “94% should be taken as it is—a very good passing rate. People who fail to see this are not seeing the forest for the trees.” As for those who insist that the absence of UP in the Top 10 signals the supposed decline of the UP College of Law, Salazar said: “That’s too narrow-minded a thought. Just because our kind of training didn’t cater to the skills needed in a standardized exam doesn’t mean the quality of education has deteriorated.” “One may argue that we could have achieved both—being in the topnotchers’ list and scoring a high percentage rate. But I don’t see how the absence of a UP graduate in the Top 10 equates to a decline in the quality of the UP Law education,” said Arcilla. “In the real world, I think the UP Law graduate would still fare better than those from other law schools, given our mandatory training at the Ofﬁce of Legal Aid, which prepared us for legal practice.” Duman sounded off the same argument, saying that the true measure of a UP Law education is the kind of lawyers it produces. “We can only measure it by our work and how we apply it,” she said. “This can never be measured by A, B, C, D choices but how we apply what we learned correctly, honestly, and truthfully in our chosen profession.” To put it more succinctly, Torres said: “It’s only an exam. Lawyers should be weighed and measured in terms of their practice.” Ochoa admitted that UP’s performance in the Bar was a factor she considered when she was deciding which law school to go to. But, in the end, she chose UP Law because “while other schools have a better passing rate, UP has had a history of (Continued on page 11)

march 2012

UPD seeks better security

Photo by El Bacani

Fred Dabu

Chancellor Saloma explains the new UPD security plan as Regent Tiongco listens.

Bar Exams 2011: Looking for UP in the Top 10 (Continued from page 10)

creating great lawyers.” “UP Law teaches its students more than just mere memorization of the law and jurisprudence,” she explained. “Oftentimes, the professors always ask us to question if the Supreme Court decisions are correct and oftentimes what makes them wrong. In other words, critical thinking is heavily encouraged in UP Law.” Besides, according to Santiago, critics will always ﬁnd fault in UP whether or not it tops the Bar. “It’s very hard to live up with the badge of being a UP graduate. People will always test you,” she said. “They expect you to know everything. They expect you to excel. If you don’t, they will take it against UP. If you excel, they will say: ‘Of course you should excel, you’re from UP.’ They blame UP for everything.” Still, Geronimo said, it cannot be

denied that reforms are necessary if UP wants to continue being deserving of its claim as the premier law school in the country. “For example, our college might want to look into the incompatibility between the UP Law curriculum and the Bar exam requirements I mentioned earlier. They inﬂuence in a big way our performance in the Bar,” he said. “If we had a good passing rate this year, it could be because of the UP Law Aptitude Exam, which is so tough that those who pass it are already smart and capable to begin with.” Or, instead of looking for UP in the Top 10, Oliva said, perhaps it’s time to reconsider the Bar exams as the barometer of a law school’s worth. “We now live in a highly globalized world,” he said. “Does the Bar exam reﬂect this reality?”

UP admin, alumni reviving lagoon area (Continued from page 12) Photo by Mon Ramirez

Batch ‘63 volunteers. (from http://betaepsilon.org/2012-01Jan23-Betatheatrum/ theatrumproject.htm)

Beta Epsilon alumnus, as the hydrologist and member of the project committee, said the “new” lagoon will teem with biodiversity, with improved waterways for the storage and conveyance of storm water and treated wastewater, and with a well landscaped park area around a multifunctional theatrum where students and others can hold cultural performances, upon completion of the project’s phase one of three major phases. Liongson said the “Beta Epsilon Theatrum and UP Lagoon & Waterways Improvement Project” is still in the ﬁrst phase, during which several water channels and hydraulic control gates are being

constructed. The Theatr um was repainted in November 2011. It is being renovated by reclaiming the fronting marshy area to provide bank-side park venues for the audience; landscaping the surrounding park; placing benches, bridges, walkpaths and other park amenities; and by managing the waterways which lead in and out of the Lagoon. Preparatory studies for Phases 2 and 3 are in progress. According to Liongson, Phase 2 requires the addition of storage control structures to manage the quantity and quality of water flows and hopefully

U.P. Newsletter 11

The creation of a faculty-led safety and welfare committee, stricter implementation of security and traffic rules, the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and bar gates, and proactive community participation in the promotion of safety within the 493-hectare campus were highlighted among UPD plans to improve campus security in the recent Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP held at the Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, last February 20. UP Alumni Association (UPAA) President and Alumni Regent Gladys Tiongco facilitated the discussions and asked for the approval of the committeerecommended checking of IDs and bags by metal detector-equipped security guards at the entrances of all buildings in UP Diliman. Hosted by the UPAA, Office of Alumni Relations, and Office of the Vice-President for Public Affairs, the Kapihan provided a venue for UP Diliman stakeholders to discuss various measures to improve campus security following the robbery and frustrated murder of Political Science student Lordei Hina last February 1 at the UP Vinzons Hall. According to Task Force Lordei, Hina survived near-fatal multiple stab wounds and head fractures. She has been in intensive care and is recovering after her brain surgery. While she has shown signs of recognition, she has to undergo therapy for three to six months to regain normal brain functions. One of the assailants is still at-large while the other, identified as a Dan Mar Vicencio, is in the custody of the Quezon City Police. Vicencio was allegedly high on drugs during the attack. Everybody’s concern

UP Diliman Chancellor Caesar Saloma said the security system covering the 493hectare campus involves everyone. He appealed to UP alumni, students, faculty, employees, and barangay leaders to work hand in hand, given the vast land area (bordering Camp Caringal, Visayas, C-5 Katipunan, and Commonwealth Avenues), a road network totaling 32.7 kms. with numerous portals, a growing population (27,500+ mandated stakeholders or faculty, students and employees; 15,484 households in 7 barangays; and thousands of visitors daily), limited security personnel, and lack of budget. Saloma noted that informal settlers outnumber the mandated stakeholders of UP, thus the need for realistic relocation programs. He explained that only households included in the census conducted last October will qualify for relocation, to be facilitated by UP, in cooperation with legislators and the Quezon City government. He said UP should aim for “operational excellence” as well as academic excellence. Past practices and costly arrangements on security and basic utilities were reviewed to address security issues, water leakages and electricity spending, among others.

Chancellor, with the Chief Security Ofﬁcer as vice-chair, and the Vice-Chancellor for Community Affairs, Legal Office representative, Faculty Representative, Staff Representative, Police Chief, DMST Representative, and the USC Chairperson as members. He emphasized the value of having a UP faculty member to supervise dayto-day security operations while the committee implements its decisions on security matters, contracts with the security agencies, and reviews their performance under the new system. As of press time, UPD has approximately 42 police ofﬁcers and 9 staff, 300 security guards, and 51 members of the Security Services Brigade, assigned to various shifts and areas of responsibility. For the night time shift, security personnel are tasked to conduct patrols since there is no need to guard already locked buildings. Not cost-cutting

Saloma said UP is not cost-cutting -- “hindi totoong nagtitipid” -- on its security capabilities. The previous budget allocation was maintained. He revealed that campus security personnel have received new equipment like radios, metal detectors and patrol cars. The committee is also reviewing personnel beneﬁts and preparing to give them additional training. According to Saloma, the security service contracts cost more than P87 million for 303 guards in 2011 and only P67.2 million for 236 guards in 2012. The difference of P20.89 million will be used to install bar gates at campus portals and CCTV cameras in strategic locations. He said the surveillance equipment will be used as a deterrent to maintain security and to monitor traffic violations, such as vehicular noise, smoke emission and blowing of horns. He added that access to CCTV footage will be restricted and owned by the chancellor’s ofﬁce, not by the security guards. Suggestions from the community

Saloma said the newly-for med multisectoral Community Safety and Welfare Committee is headed by the UPD

For mer UP President Francisco Nemenzo said the tried and tested security personnel who have become familiar with UP faculty should be retained. He added that the implementation of rules should be consistent. Retired general Jimmy de los Santos proposed the formation of a bike brigade as a simple and economical way to make security personnel and volunteers more visible to the community. Roving personnel are expected to serve as force multipliers for the UP Police, as deterrent to crime and as emergency responders. He also asked for improved lighting on campus. Saloma supported the idea of having a bike brigade. “If UPAA can donate 10 bicycles, that would be a very good project,” he said. Several faculty members also wanted theft, drug abuse, and trafﬁc violations like vehicular smoke and noise pollution in the barangays addressed. Saloma reminded the audience that security is just one component of the overall risk management and disaster response system on which the whole community should work together.

promote the biodiversity in the upstream waterways. An upper ponded area may be re-engineered to make it capable of improving the quality of water efﬂuents through phytoremediation. The area refers to the wetlands around the Beta Epsilon Way, from the University Library to A. Roces Avenue. Phase 3 extends to the water quality management and efﬂuent treatment for the next upstream area from Vinzon’s Hall to the University Library.

During the 1980s to early 1990s, the Lagoon used to hold various types of ﬁsh in its more than a meter deep freshwater, while the Theatrum area used to be an ideal venue for family picnics and cultural events. The present project aims to recapture and improve upon the good experience of the Lagoon park for the enjoyment of the present and future generations of campus constituents and community.

Multisectoral committee

12 U.P. Newsletter

march 2012

Maroons retain UAAP football crown The UP Fighting Maroons are once again champions in men’s football. In a storyline similar to last year’s Finals, the Maroons repulsed the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers to win their third crown in four years. The 61st minute goal by last year’s rookie of the year and top scorer Jinggoy Valmayor sealed the win for the Maroons who have now won a total of 16 championships in the sport. The game,

which ended with a 1-0 victory for the Maroons, was held at the Ateneo de Manila High School ﬁeld last February 26. Valmayor, who is in his second year of playing for UP, latched on to Jay Eusebio’s through ball to hammer it home and deny the Growling Tigers a win for the second straight ﬁnal. The winning sequence was reminiscent of last year’s triumph, where Valmayor set up teammate Aryee Ayi Nii’s

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE UPLB ADMINISTRATION

31st minute goal from long range, and he himself scored in the 51st to put the championship completely beyond the reach of their rivals from España. “It feels so great na two years pa lang ako sa UP tapos dalawang championship na,” an ecstatic Valmayor was quoted by GMA News as saying. The Maroons, who were undefeated leading up to the encounter with the Growling Tigers who were sporting a 5-win, 5-draw record, had defeated the Growling Tigers in their previous encounter 2-0, with Aryee Ayi Nii scoring a brace for his team. They entered this year’s men’s ﬁnals not just as favorites, but with a twice-to-beat advantage by topping the double-round eliminations with 20 points. They took no chances, however, and

utilized their tight defense to keep UST scoreless for the duration of what was a hotly contested match. UP has only conceded a single goal all season long, in a 1-1 draw with UE earlier this year. A scoreless draw with the Far Eastern University Tamaraws sealed UST’s returntrip to the finals. The loss was doubly painful for the Growling Tigers, whose women’s team was defeated by De La Salle University 3-4 in a penalty shootout, forcing a ﬁnal showdown between the two sides for the title. “We’re lucky to have such a very determined team,” said UP coach Anto Gonzales in an interview with the Inquirer. Inquirer “We struggled in the ﬁrst round that led to problems within the team. But we stuck together and we improved as the season went on.”

UP admin, alumni reviving lagoon area Fred Dabu

The Lagoon Park and Theatrum is being revitalized as a venue for free recreational, educational and cultural activities. The Theatrum was originally donated by Beta Epsilon to the UP Diamond Jubilee in 1983 as its contribution to the celebration. The UP Diliman administration and the project proponents, Beta Epsilon fraternity and its alumni, are landscaping the area and improving water flow management. UP Diliman Chancellor Saloma said his ofﬁce “is very grateful to the

kindhearted generosity of the Beta Epsilon Alumni Foundation, which allowed the sustained, no-nonsense rehabilitation of the UP Lagoon, a cherished landmark of UP Diliman for many UP alumni. Regretfully and for one reason or another, the Lagoon had gone into a state of disrepair and benign neglect in recent years. Its current rehabilitation is both timely and auspicious especially for those of us who have learned to appreciate and love this campus.” Prof. Leonardo Liongson of the Institute of Civil Engineering and a (Continued on page 11)

Photo by Rose Ann Pulido (LB Times)

AS WE COME TOGETHER. The community of Los Baños sets their differences aside as they come together to show their support to the community’s clamor for justice. Photo by Danica Atienza (LB Times)

The UPLB Administration utterly condemns the tragic and senseless killing of Rayver Bernard R. Peñaranda, a third year BS Agriculture student. On March 4, 2012, at about 1:00 a.m., Mr. Peñaranda was on his way home to his apartment in Umali Subdivision, Brgy. Batong Malake, Los Baños, Laguna together with two friends after attending a rehearsal in Gonzalez Compound located beside the St. Therese Chapel. While in F.O. Santos Street in Umali Subdivision, they were approached by two motorcycle-riding men, one of whom got down from the motorcycle, announced the robbery, grabbed Mr. Peñaranda by the collar and subsequently stabbed him. He was rushed to the Los Baños Doctors Hospital and Medical Center where he was pronounced dead on arrival with one stab wound on the right side of the chest. As we grieve with the loss of Mr. Peñaranda, we must pursue justice for his family and loved ones. We appeal to law enforcers to take prompt and decisive action to apprehend and bring before the bar of justice the perpetrators of this dastardly act. The safety, security, and welfare of our constituents havealways been a primary concern of the University and we continue to intensify efforts to strengthen security within the campus. We remain committed to our mission of academic excellence while providing a conducive environment for our students and pursuing programs that promote their welfare. Thus, despite our limited resources, we take the responsibility of providing a safe and secure environment for our constituents seriously and diligently. Recently, we have repositioned some of our closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to monitor the movements of people and vehicles that frequent the critical areas in the campus. While we have limited uniformed personnel since we are constrained by law to hire more, we have augmented the security complement of the University Police Force (UPF) through the Community Support Brigade (CSB). The members of the CSB work hand-in-hand with the UPF personnel in maintaining peace and order within the University. We have secured the services of a private security agency to help keep watch over our vastcampus. In addition, we have constructed a perimeter wall along the campus Kanluran Road to help deter criminal elements from accessing other entry points inside the campus. There are plans of putting steel barriers along other access roads in the periphery of the campus such as the ones located in the Institute for Plant Breeding area. There are also ongoing measures to strengthen campus patrolling and the reskillingof all campus security personnel. Rest assured, UPLB continues to make periodic reviews of campus security plans. We continue to work in close coordination and cooperation with the Local Government of Los Baños and the Los Baños PNP station to address the problems and concerns regarding our students who reside in privately-owned dormitories and apartments located within the periphery of the campus. As early as last year and even before the tragic incident on March 4, we have thought of holding a summit with the goal of building collaborative approaches to safety and security administration. The summit will be held on March 27, 2012 and will bring together representatives from the Laguna Provincial Police Ofﬁce, Los Baños PNP Station, the University Police Force, the Los Baños-LGU, security service providers, and ofﬁcials from the University. Through this activity, we expect to strengthen further our security and safety partnership agreements with peace and security stakeholders. We would like to assure our constituents, our students, faculty and staff, the parents, and our donors and benefactors that we are doing everything we can, despite an obvious limitation on resources, to maintain peace and order and strengthen security interventions. This dark episode in the University is a constant reminder that we can never be too complacent about our own safety and security, notwithstanding the operational measures that we have put in place. We are also humble enough to admit that it is a wake-up call that we may need to step-up efforts in our coordination and collaboration with the LGU and other stakeholders. It is also an opportunity for us to become more pro-active in our stance and rally our constituents to help minimize or completely eradicate criminal acts in UPLB and the Municipality of Los Baños. We would like to express our gratitude to the police authorities for the efforts exerted in conducting the investigation, other police agencies who have vowed to provide assistance to solve the case and concerned groups, notably the UPLB alumni who have volunteered to help in any way they can. Lastly, we extend our deepest commiseration with the family of Rayver Bernard for the loss of their son, who in his brief yet meaningful life, gave so much joy to those he loved.

Andre Encarnacion

WRITTEN CRIES. Banners and posters serve as the scribed dismay and denunciation of reckless killings.

U.P. NEWSLETTER PROF. DANILO ARAÑA ARAO Editor-in-Chief JO. FLORENDO B. LONTOC Managing Editor PROF. LUIS TEODORO Editorial Consultant ARBEEN ACUÑA, FRED DABU, ANDRE ENCARNACION, CELESTE ANN CASTILLO LLANETA, JO. FLORENDO B. LONTOC, KIM QUILINGUING, ARLYN VCD P. ROMUALDO Writers BONG ARBOLEDA, MISAEL BACANI, JONATHAN MADRID Photographers ARBEEN ACUÑA Layout OBET EUGENIO Editorial Assistant TOM MAGLAYA Circulation The U.P. NEWSLETTER is a monthly publication of the UP System Information Office, Office of the Vice-President for Public Affairs. We welcome contributions from the faculty, non-academic staff, REPS and students. Please send your contributions to: THE EDITOR U.P. Newsletter ewsletter Mezzanine Floor, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City 926-1572, 436-7537 e-mail: upnewsletter@up.edu.ph upsio@up.edu.ph