UP Newsletter September 2011

U.P. Newsletter 1

Wired UP

Devcom site serves Devcom SMS, MatchUP, and Webmail have been installed to the UPLB College of Development Communication website (www.devcom.edu.ph). Faculty members may send messages to students through a one-way SMS messaging system. Enlistment through the CDC website is now possible using MatchUP: Matriculation Changer.

Devcom also has its own webmail powered by Google.

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

NUMBER 9

DILIMAN, QUEZON CITY

SEPTEMBER 2 0 11

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

UP tops licensure exams in July, August Photo by El Bacani

Andre Encarnacion

UP graduates were in the top 10 of licensure examinations conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

UP Diliman, Manila and Los Baños also had passing rates of as much as 100 percent.

Forestry

President Pascual addresses constituents from different disciplines during the first “Kapihan.”

`Kapihan’ launched as venue for system-wide interaction on UP issues Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc

As a means to regularly bring the university’s experts from various disciplines together for free-wheeling discussions on university issues, President Alfredo Pascual through Vice-President for Academic Affairs Gisela Concepcion launched last August 5 the “Kapihan” fora.

Three `Kapihans’ have been held so far. The first one was on August 5; the second on August 16; and the third on August 31.

The August 5 Kapihan at the Marine Science Institute at UP Diliman (UPD) had “Research Toward ASEAN Development” as topic for discussion.

The second one last August 16 at the College of Arts and Letters, UPD, discussed

the issue of academic quality assessment and accreditation.

On both occasions, Pascual updated the community about his administration’s efforts for UP to live up to its mandate as the national university. According to him, one demand for a national university is research leadership.

Another is to muster enough financial support by convincing external stakeholders of its excellence and relevance as national university.

Becoming a research university

Attending the August 5 Kapihan were officials, faculty members, researchers and graduate students of UP Diliman, UP Manila, (Continued on page 10)

Of the 46 examinees of the Forester Licensure Exam from UP Los Baños (UPLB), 43 passed, for a passing rate of 93.48 percent. The national passing rate was 44 percent (or 163 out of 344).

Of the 43 passers from UPLB, seven made it into the top 10: Angelica Fleur Galang Umali, third; Beatrice Anne Jaucian Cortez, fourth; Roven Dayapera Tumaneng I, fifth; Metchie Gay Rios Arnaiz, seventh; Mark Don Crisostomo Silayan, eighth; Ma. Carmina Mangabat Canua, ninth; and Lorenz Gange Palec, tenth.

“I resigned from the CCP to uphold artists’ rights... I stand as a symbol of artistic expression.”

During a press conference last August 11 at the College of Mass Communication, UP Diliman, former Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Visual Arts Director and UP

Remembering UP during martial law

UP Diliman (UPD), on the other hand, emerged as the top-performing school in the Geologist Licensure Examination.

Twenty-eight out of 29 examinees from UPD passed, for a passing rate of 96.55 percent. The national passing rate was 62 percent (48 out of 78).

Passers from UPD also garnered the three highest places in this year’s exams, with Jigo Waje Mismanos, Gaea Marie Bacarro (Continued on page 10)

alumna Karen Flores explained her decision to leave CCP and her stand on the controversy surrounding the controversial exhibit titled Kulo.

Upholding the right of the artist, Mideo Cruz, to have his art installations exhibited at the CCP, Flores said that the exhibit should not have been closed down despite the objections of the Roman Catholic Church. “Let religion promote a higher self. It should not promote hatred. Instead it should promote tolerance,” she said.

When asked if the report aired on ABS-CBN’s XXX may have been the reason for the controversy, Flores said that it is possible that the report set it off. She said that it gave the impression that Cruz’s work which made use of Christian icons and prophylactics tackled the Reproductive Health bill and that it was meant to promote it.

National Artist and UP Professor Emeritus Bienvenido Lumbera said that the closure of Kulo—resulting from the pressure exerted by Rep. Imelda Marcos Photo by El Bacani

Photographers train lenses on Flores, during the open forum of the press conference.

I

3

Geology

KIM Quilinguing

Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc

(Continued on page 10)

Nationwide, 37 percent (or 1,085 out of 2,962 examinees) passed the Agriculturist Licensure Examination. UPLB was the topperforming school with 118 passers out of 120 exam-takers (98.33 percent).

Seven UPLB graduates made it into the top 10: Manolo Luis Tagud Herrera, first; Donnie Ray Lizarte Bayucan, second; Emmanuel Lagman Bernardo, third; James Gregory Alcaraz Villasis, fourth; Jefferson Figueres Paril, fifth; Ron Aldwin Sapin Navales, sixth; and Andrew Jason Erasga Quinto, seventh.

UP groups denounce closure of Kulo exhibit

Search for new UPM, UPLB, UPV chancellors on Fourteen nominees for chancellor of UP Manila (UPM), UP Los Baños (UPLB) and UP Visayas (UPV) presented their vision papers and answered questions from members of the constituent universities during formal public proceedings last August on their respective campuses.

The chancellors of the three constituent universities will be chosen by the Board of Regents, upon the recommendation of UP President Alfredo Pascual.

The terms of the incumbent chancellors will end on October 31.

Agriculture

4

N

S

Open Technology Business Incubator celebrates 2nd year

I

6

D

(Continued on page 11)

E

Anwar analyzes legacies of Rizal, Ninoy

9

Pascual et al. discuss UP, national situation

2 U.P. Newsletter

SEPTEMBER 2011

UP admin honors Oblation Scholars Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo Photo by El Bacani

“Make a conscious effort to learn to serve the people.”

This was UP President Alfredo Pascual’s message to the 2011 Oblation Scholars, as read by VicePresident for Academic Affairs Gisela Concepcion during a reception in their honor at the Bahay ng Alumni last July 25. Pascual also advised the incoming freshmen to “fill each day with humility and [to] be mindful of [their] responsibilities” as Oblation Scholars.

Office of Admissions Director Gerard Pio Franco said that out of the 65,185 applicants who took the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT), only 12,894 qualified for admission. The top 50 UPCAT qualifiers are awarded the Oblation This year’s batch of Oblation scholars gather for a group picture after their reception.

Scholarship. This means that the scholars only constitute 0.39 percent of the UPCAT qualifiers and 0.077 percent (STFAP).

Oblation Scholars to “make the most out of of the total number of applicants.

The Oblation Scholarship covers the [their lives] in UP.” Concepcion encouraged Forty-two of the 50 Oblation Scholars prescribed length of time it takes to finish them to be inspired by the life and works of decided to enroll in UP, with 26 of them the chosen degree program. In the case of the country’s national hero, Jose Rizal. in Diliman and 16 in Manila. This figure the seven-year Integrated Liberal Arts and Rosario G. Manasan who spoke on is higher than last year’s when only 37 Medicine (INTARMED) program of UP behalf of the parents reminded them that pushed through with their enrollment in Manila, the scholarship covers the first four while “congratulations are well-deserved,” the university. years. Enrollment during summer is covered they must never forget that “to whom much Franco said that Oblation Scholars are only when it is required by the chosen degree is given, much is expected.” allowed to enroll in any undergraduate program.

In a response delivered on behalf of this degree program, in any college within the UP To continue enjoying these privileges, year’s Oblation Scholars, Ma. Sergia Fatima System as long as they meet other entrance Franco said that Oblation Scholars should Sucaldito—the youngest in the batch—said requirements of their chosen programs. carry the normal load prescribed by their that unlike other universities, only UP offers Aside from free tuition, miscellaneous respective degree programs; pass all their freedom of thought, even encouraging and laboratory fees, the scholars also enjoy academic subjects without a grade of “5,” and embracing ideas and opinions that run a semestral book allowance, transportation “4,” “Dropped,” or “Incomplete;” and contrary to the popular or what is perceived allowance and a special incentive allowance maintain a weighted average of at least as the norm. She said that the inclination to aside from the monthly living and lodging “2.0.” serve the people is also effectively awakened allowance provided by the Socialized For his part, Vice-President for and nurtured in the university. She said that Tuition and Financial Assistance Program Administration Maragtas Amante told the they are ready for life in UP.

Archaeology students find `bahay na bato’ in Batangas A team of the UP Archaeological Studies Prog ram (ASP) Batch 2010-2011 found the foundations of a Spanish-era stone house in Pinagbayanan, San Juan, Batangas during the program’s annual field school.

Supervised by Dr. Grace BarrettoTesoro, the team excavated the foundations of the stone house and found ceramic sherds, metal fragments and glass shards, among others, which the team collected and accessioned.

The 2010 field season continued the excavation conducted by the UP ASP from April to May 2009. The excavation is part of a continuing project in San Juan, Batangas. Its objective is to understand and Southwest top view of the site at Barangay Pinagbayanan, San Juan,Batangas contribute to the town’s history.

The structure was the first bahay na bato plaza complex. This means that the previous focusing on construction technology, to be excavated in the Philippines. Most occupants of the house were principales or vessels of settlers and organic artifacts. archaeological investigations of Spanish members of the Spanish elite since the During the 2009 excavation, four structures have focused on churches and location of a house in the plaza complex, trenches were opened in the southern fortresses. The site was given the code particularly its distance from the church, part of Structure A, in the lot owned IV-2009-F by the National Museum. The indicated the wealth, influence and power by Edgardo De Villa Salud. The general structure (Structure A) used to be a stone of the people who lived in the house. architecture of Structure A was determined house or bahay na bato. What remains are To share with the UP community the from these trenches. Excavation in Trench 1 portions of walls, pillars, pillar bases and results of the excavation, the UP ASP Field revealed a room with large windows facing pilasters.

School team hosted a week-long exhibit on the street, as well as a doorway leading to Because of its proximity to the old the first floor of the Palma Hall Lobby, UP the room. Based on the artifacts found, the church and the remains of what is proposed Diliman. A series of informal talks were doorway was proposed to be a zaguan, or as the old municipal hall, Structure A is delivered at ASP lecture room, Palma Hall the area where coaches were parked. Trench hypothesized to be part of the Spanish basement in connection with the exhibit, 2 revealed a koloong or water well and

Photo by Coli Cardeño

Harpy Valerio

UPLB students denounce `abolition’ of varsity teams Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc

Rallying behind the campus varsity teams, some student groups protested moves by the UP Los Baños (UPLB) administration to implement a new sports program which they said will effectively abolish its current varsity teams. The student groups also denounced alleged administration propaganda against the varsity teams.

Opposition to the program prompted UPLB Chancellor Luis Rey Velasco to release an official statement regarding the new scheme and to call on the different College Student Councils and more student organizations to relay to him their positions on it.

Under the new scheme, the arts and culture program for students shall be adapted for sports. There will be a committee to evaluate proposals from different groups for funding and for representing UPLB in sports tournaments.

Financial assistance, similar to the P10million annual fund that the UP President approved for several performing arts group and other student groups, can be allocated to support the sports groups.

“Therefore, the existing sports varsity teams may wish to organize themselves into sports club and obtain approval from the committee to represent UPLB and for funding support. It follows then that it is possible for the University to support more than one sports club to represent UPLB for a sports event if their competency is at competitive level,” Velasco said in a statement.

Through this scheme, UPLB does not have to use more than 50 percent of athletic fees collected from students to support varsity teams (in terms of uniforms, tournament fee, travel, and coach honoraria) which is the current practice. The rest of the students can thus fully benefit from the athletic fees collected from them, which the Department of Human Kinetics has to share with the varsity teams for its academic activities.

The athletic fee can be used to support the organization of sports clubs following certain guidelines to be developed, Velasco said.

A statement prepared by the group Samahan ng mga Kabataan Para sa Bayan (Sakbayan)-UPLB, signed by various sectors of UPLB, and handed over to Velasco during a picket-dialogue last August 12, argued that “to develop our sports varsity teams together with encouraging the participation of more students through university-wide sports tournaments can be fulfilled without undermining one of these…We believe that more creative (Continued on page 5)

adobe stone pillars were found in Trench 3. Trench 4 was proposed as the kamalig or the storage area because of the raised stone flooring and its higher elevation.

The excavation also provided information on the abandonment and subsequent destruction of the structure.

Another structure called Structure B and characterized by remains of stone pillars and bases of stone walls was found south of Structure A. UP ASP plans to excavate Structure B in the 2011 field season.

ASP hopes to use the information collected to compare San Juan to other Spanish towns, since San Juan was established much later in 1881 compared to other towns.

SEPTEMBER 2011

Makialam

U.P. Newsletter 3

Joseph Corpuz

Pagpasok ko ng UP noong 2006, masaya lang akong nakapasok sa pangarap kong pamantasan. Maliban doon, walang espesyal sa student number ko o kahit sa batch namin. Hanggang sa dumating ang isyu tungkol sa pagtataas ng matrikula para sa mga freshman ng 2007. Ang binabayaran kong P300 bawat yunit ay magiging P1,000 bawat yunit para sa kanila.

Kumbaga sa taxi, papatak na ang metro sa “rate” na libo-libo.

Kahit naaawa, mas masaya lang ako na suwerte at hindi ako magbabayad ng mga P20,000 bawat semestre. Ang hakbang din naman ng administrasyon ng UP ay para lang talaga sa mga freshman ang bagong iskema ng tuition increase pati na ang sa Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP) na sasalo raw sa problema nila sa pagbabayad.

Sa totoo lang, hati ang atensiyon ko.

Nang umusad ang mg a taon at grumadweyt na ang mga mas mababa ang

Sa pagpatak ng metro ng matrikula student number sa akin, unti-unti kong naramdaman na nagiging endangered na ang “pre-tuition increase babies.”

Hanggang sa kasalukuyan na parang alamat na lang na minsan sa UP ay may estudyanteng hindi umaabot ng P10,000 ang kabuuang bayaring nakasulat sa Form 5.

Nang lumipat ako mula engineering papuntang journalism, malaking bagay ang halaga ng matrikula ko. Hindi magiging madali sa mga magulang ko na malamang magtatagal pa ako nang ilang taon sa unibersidad kung sa kasalukuyang taas ng matrikula ang babayaran ko. Kaya kapag may mga nagiging kaklase akong mas bata sa akin, ramdam ko ang inggit at panghihinayang sa sentimyento nila.

Sa parehong pupuntahan, mas problemado sila sa malaking pambayad

na ilalaan.

Itinatanong ko rin sa sarili ko ang pagtataka nila. “Bakit ang mga alumni ng UP, na ipinagmamalaki ang kalidad ng edukasyon sa UP sa abot-kayang halaga, ay ipinagkakait sa amin ang nakuha nila?”

Panahon na raw iakma ang presyo ng matrikula sa lumalaking pangangailanagn ng unibersidad dahil sa “inflation, ” na para bang hindi apektado ang mga pamilya ng estudyante.

Kung nahihirapan ang mga mas mataas ang student number sa akin—na magprotesta sa pagtaas ng tuition, maglaan ng oras para mag-isip at kwestyunin ang hirap nang paghahagilap ng pambayad sa student loan, o kahit kumuha ng mga subject na gusto nila bagama’t hindi required sa kanilang kurso, o sumali sa maraming orgs—hindi ko sila masisi.

Mamahalin mo talaga ang mahal na UP diploma na dapat mong makuha sa lalong madali.

Tinatamaan din naman ako sa mga gulat at malungkot na estudyanteng nakakausap ko pero hindi ko masabi sa kanila na “ganoon talaga.” Dapat labas na sa sarili ang usapan. Nagtaas ang matrikula dahil sa taunang pagdausdos ng badyet ng UP. Hindi na nga ito tungkol lang sa matrikula o sa UP. Kung lalampas na naman ang pagkakaton para pagsamasamahin ang lahat nating daing at laban, hindi talaga umuusad ang ating mga kagustuhan.

Ku m b a g a , n a g - i i l u s yo n t ayo n g mapagkakasya natin ang kung anong mayroon tayo para makarating sa dulo ng biyaheng ito. Ang totoo, may mga “siraulong” naglagay ng sirang metro.

Si Joseph Corpuz ay isang estudyante ng peryodismo sa Kolehiyo ng Komunikasyong Pangmadla, UP Diliman.

Remembering UP during martial law Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc

away whatever incriminating As the country papers were left in the hall. commemorates the declaration Yabes was arrested the next of martial law by Ferdinand day.

Marcos on September 21, “Some campus citizens 1972, the UP Newsletter is hid for a while and resurfaced featuring short accounts of only when the heat died down. the martial law days in UP. Others hid much longer. And In his essay “The Martial still others hid for the duration Law Years Cometh—and of the Martial Law regime…”

Goeth” published in the book Jose wrote.

The University Experience (1991, “Bags and attaché Belinda Aquino, editor), Prof. cases were inspected for Vivencio Jose wrote how the any weapon or incendiary UP community dismissed material. Everyone had to rumors of martial law. There wear his ID… Curfew hours was therefore a surprised in academic buildings were scramble when it was imposed. maintained from 10 p.m. to “Denizens of the Republic, 6. a.m.,” according to Prof.

I recall now, burnt books A photo of the University Avenue during the Diliman Barricade which served as prelude to the declaration of martial Oscar Evangelista in his and documents or anything law. Photo taken from A University for Filipinos, UP, 1984. essay “Lopez’s Beleaguered written for that matter, that could implicate them with the liberation midnight. We met a convoy of Metrocom area of the Iglesia ni Kristo cathedral along Tenure (1969-1975)” in University of the movement that had by that time grown soliders along University Avenue. The ladies Commonwealth Avenue. We tuned in to the Philippines: The First 75 Years (1908large and unwieldy,” Jose wrote. dorm area was littered with debris. We radio and TV in the lobby. There was only 1983) (1985, Oscar Alfonso, editor).

Oscar Yabes in his personal essay for were told that Metrocom soldiers had just silence, no TV nor radio signals.”

“Underground manifestoes continued to the collection 50 Kuwentong Peyups (2009, left after raiding the DZUP radio station Yabes, then editor-in-chief of be circulated while janitors had a hard time Marie Aubrey Villaceran, editor) recalled and dispersing the mass teach-in at the the Philippine Collegian, dashed to the erasing revolutionary slogans written on UP Diliman’s first taste of Martial Law: Sampaguita. When we arrived at Narra, we publication’s office at Vinzons Hall. He the walls of comfort rooms and lecture (Continued on page 12) “We went back to Narra a little past heard what sounded like a firefight in the found it ransacked. Students were carting

Balitang Unyon

Letter to the Editor

Matagumpay na diyalogo ng AUPWU, AUPAEU at UP Administrasyon Noong Ag osto 9, nagkaroon ng makasaysayang diyalogo ang mga opisyal ng administrasyon ng UP at ang mga opisyal ng AllUP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU) at All-UP Workers Union (AUPWU) sa Executive House ng UP Diliman.

Kabilang sa mga dumalo sa panig ng administrasyon sina Pangulong Alfredo Pascual, Vice-President (VP) for Administration Maragtas Amante, VP for Planning and Finance Lisa Grace Bersales, VP for Legal Affairs Danilo Concepcion at Assistant VP for Public Affairs Danilo Arao.

Kabilang naman sa mga dumalo sa panig ng mga unyon sina Ramon Guillermo, pambansang tagapangulo ng AUPAEU; Felix Pariñas, pambansang tagapangulo ng AUPWU; at Perlita Raña, pangkalahatang kalihim ng AUPAEU. Naroon din ang iba pang mga opisyal ng dalawang unyon sa nasyonal na antas at mula sa mga tsapter ng UP Manila at

UP Los Baños.

Dumating din ang dating staff regent na si Clodualdo Cabrera at dating faculty regent na si Judy Taguiwalo. Naroon din sa diyalogo ang kasalukuyang Faculty Regent na si Ida Dalmacio. Hindi nakarating si Staff Regent Jossel Ebesate dahil dumalo siya sa hearing ng House or Representatives (HOR) tungkol sa budget pangkalusugan.

Nagbigay ng komprehensibong pagtalakay si Pangulong Pascual hinggil sa kanyang bisyon para sa UP System. Ipinaliwanag niya ang mga suliraning kinakaharap ng UP dulot ng napipinto muling budget cut. Kinumpirma niya ang kaltas na P400 milyon sa personnel services (PS) at P200 milyon sa maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE).

Binanggit din niyang ang P700 milyong MOOE sa panukalang budget ng DBM para sa UP ay hindi pa makakatugon sa P900 milyon (Continued on page 11)

Thank you for the fine UP Newsletter article on Dr. June Lopez and myself (“UP alumni recognize engineer, doctor for ‘social cohesion,’” August 2011, p. 8).

I may have mixed up the dates and orgs during the interview which could be the basis for this paragraph: “In 1999, he joined the non-government organization AGHAM. ‘It’s basically using science and technology for the people,’ Ramirez said. Through AGHAM and Bayan Muna Party-list, he applied his learning as an electrical engineer in the case they filed in 1994 against Meralco for overcharging its consumers. They won the case in the Supreme Court, which resulted in Meralco’s returning around P30 billion to its consumers.”

There was no AGHAM or Bayan Muna Partylist in 1994. The overcharging case against Meralco was filed by Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), a Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) affiliate, and some groups, mostly consumer groups. It took all of 10 years for the courts to decide on

the case.

It was the EPIRA unbundling case that AGHAM, BAYAN and the progressive party-list groups worked on, a case that went up also all the way to the Supreme Court.

Thanks again. The article helps promote the idea of using science and technology serve the people. The last three paragraphs summarize that.

Engr. Ramon “Mon” Ramirez (BSEE ‘66) Webmaster, arkibongbayan.org

ERRATUM In the article “Automated Guideway Transit prototype to be built in UP Diliman (August 2011),” the fourth to the last paragraph on page 9 read: “Consisting of two 60-seater coaches of 60-seats each…”

It should have been “Consisting of two 60ceater coaches…” We sincerely apologize for that proofreading lapse. We thank Prof.

Aileen Baviera of Asian Center for pointing this out in her Facebook account.

4 U.P. Newsletter

SEPTEMBER 2011

UPLB to celebrate 93rd year in October

Small enterprises as engines of growth

Levilyn B. Erasga

Could micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) be engines of growth?

The role of these enterprises was analyzed last August 4 as the UP Institute for Small Scale Industries (UP ISSI) celebrated its 42nd anniversary with a Multi-Stakeholders Convergence Forum on MSME Burning Issues and Concerns.

The speakers included Rep. Teodoro Casiño of Bayan Muna, Usec. Merly Cruz of the Department of Trade and Industry, Usec. Carol Yorobe of the Department of Science and Technology and Mr. Ramon Lopez of the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship.

“We have to do something different if we want to grow faster,” UP ISSI Director Nestor O. Rañeses said in his welcome remarks. He cited the importance of MSMEs in personal and national development and stressed the importance of building “an entrepreneurial society,” which he said can from within by making the University of the Philippines into an “entrepreneurial university”.

Rañeses also said that the aims of the forum aims to discuss ideas, insights and

Photo by Bong Arboleda

UP Los Baños (UPLB) and the UPLB Alumni Association (UPLBAA) are preparing for the 93rd Loyalty Day and Alumni Homecoming on October 9.

With the theme “UPLB Leads Green,” the celebration aims to support the university’s thrust of awareness and appreciation of nature and the environment.

One of the scheduled activities is a Flower and Garden Show sponsored by the Orchid Society from October 7 to 16 at the Senior’s Social Garden. A fun run called “KapaligiRUN ” will be held on October 8. The Alumni Fellowship and Awards Night will be on October 9 at 4:00 p.m. onwards.

The Loyalty Day Parade and Alumni Homecoming will be on October 10, 8:00 a.m. Assembly point is at the back of the EB Copeland Gym. Registration starts at 7:00 a.m.

The “Lunch Salu-Salo” for all UPLB faculty members and staff, UPLBAA members and guests will be held immediately after the parade.

Andre Encarnacion

ISSI Director Nestor Rañeses welcomes participants to the Multi-Stakeholder Convergence Forum.

relevant experiences on the promises of the 2011-2016 development plan, provide options in overcoming the challenges of sustainable inclusive growth, pinpoint the critical success factors that will make SME the real engine of growth and engage all stakeholders in enacting solutions.

UP Diliman Chancellor Caesar Saloma said that MSMEs accounted for 99.6 percent of total establishments in the

Open Technology Business Incubator celebrates 2nd year Andre Encarnacion

Photo by Bong Arboleda

“By government standards, two years is a short time to determine the success of a project like this.”

Secretary Mario Montejo of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) stressed this point during the second anniversary celebration of the DOST-Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Open Technolog y Business Incubator (Open TBI) in UP Diliman last July 22.

But even if the project is too new to assess, he added, “I will jump the gun today and say that the DOST-PEZA Open TBI is a success story”.

Located at the ASTI Compound, Senator Edgardo J. Angara (center) and (seated, L-R) Mr. Dennis Cunanan of DOST-TRC, UP President Alfredo Pascual, DOST Secretary Mario Montejo and Mr. Dennis F. Villorente of DOST-ASTI with the UP Technology Park Complex, CP contestants and winners of the TBI’s website design contest Garcia Avenue, the Open TBI is a project of DOST and PEZA, with joint technical, financial and other services for not the lack of intellectual capital but support implementation by Advanced Science and resident incubatees, while offering virtual from both the public and private sector.

Technology Institute (ASTI) and Technology services for non-resident incubatees.

UP’s task is to lead the country in Resource Center (TRC). UP provides the land UP President Alfredo Pascual said “The quality education and to offer its wealth of and other intellectual resources for the TBI. open TBI has become an ideal site for small knowledge to aid the occupants of the TBI. The Open TBI focuses on open and medium technological entrepreneurs.” He “UP hopes that by making these facilities as technologies and offers leasable space and said that the problem with the Philippines is well as the invaluable expertise of its faculty

country, provided 61.2 percent of total employment and 35.7 percent of total value added. He acknowledged the views of thinkers and social commentators like Nick Joaquin on the Filipino’s penchant for smallness, but said that such criticisms should” push us to pursue the big dream within the small enterprise.” He added that there was staying power in the small-scale and that it was an industry accessible to many people.

Saloma stressed the need to implement the key programs of the MSME Sectoral Development Plan. He expressed confidence in UP Diliman as a venue for channels of conversation to open, as he believed problems in MSME required multidisciplinary solutions. “I am sure we all share the dream of an abundant, just and stable society where the rule of law prevails and prosperity is enjoyed by all. The dream may always seem to elude us but this is never enough reason not to keep seeking it.” and staff available to all our technological business beginners that (we do our part) to aid the growth of a culture of science and technology and nurturing the environment of business in the country.”

Sen. Edgardo J. Angara attributed the low level of the country’s growth to the lack of local investments in science and technology.

But he acknowledged the ability of small technology-based start-ups in boosting the living standards of the people. He congratulated DOST-PEZA TBI for being a growth center. “Innovation is our way to raise the living standards of Filipinos. That’s the only hope for the 100 million Filipinos right now, who will become 130 million in 2020.”

CHE, National Historical Commission honor Teodora Alonso Photo by Bong Arboleda

Janus Nuñez’ portrait of Doña Teodora Alonso is unveiled by Dean Mayo.

Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta

“A woman of no ordinary culture” is how National Hero Jose Rizal described his mother and first teacher, Teodora Alonso.

Her resourcefulness, pragmatic and entrepreneurial spirit, commitment to culture and education, strong feminist beliefs well ahead of her time, courage and deep sense of nationalism make her a national hero in her own right. As patriot, homemaker, entrepreneur, wife and mother, she is considered an exemplar of a true home economist.

She is also the woman after whom the main building of the UP College of Home Economics (CHE) is named. It was the first building on the UP Diliman campus to be named after a woman.

In commemoration of CHE’s 50th foundation anniversary and the observance

of the 100th death anniversary of Teodora Alonso, the college and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) presented “Imahen ng Ekonomiyang Pantahanan,” a program honoring Teodora Alonso last August 23 at Alonso Hall and Gusali 2 of the CHE. CHE Dean Adelaida Mayo said that Teodora Alonso’s death anniversary is an opportune time to honor the woman whose values and qualities continue to serve as guide and inspiration to the college and its constituents.

The first part of the program featured the unveiling of a marker honoring Teodora Alonso and of her portrait by Janus Nuñez. The second part was a three-panel

(Continued on page 8)

SEPTEMBER 2011

U.P. Newsletter 5

Pascual cites UPOU’s teaching innovation Other UP units can learn from the UP Open University’s (UPOU) experience in innovative teaching.

In his keynote speech last August 4 at the first UPOU Faculty Congress, UP President Alfredo Pascual commended UPOU for continuously looking for ways of developing and refining pedagogical approaches.

Pascual said that remaking UP into an e-university cannot be achieved overnight.

But he said he is confident that UPOU’s experience will be something the rest of the UP System’s constituent universities can learn from.

UPOU Chancellor Grace Javier Alfonso emphasized the role of Open and Distance e-Learning (ODeL) in transnational education, particularly the challenges in building global learning communities and developing a cadre of teachers who can teach in cross-cultural contexts. She also highlighted the innovations of ODeL in enhancing thinking skills. She encouraged all faculty members to continue to learn,

be curious and continue to be reflective educators.

The four sessions prepared for the whole-day event aimed to enable UPOU faculty members to further develop their technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPCK) as online educators, and to apply and contribute to the scholarship of teaching in the digital age. This was also the initial activity for a series of events for faculty empowerment and development.

The first session was a paper presentation

by Dr. Primo Garcia on “Becoming/Being an Effective Online Educator.” He narrated how he addressed the challenges in online teaching and learning using the TPCK model as a theoretical framework. Prof.

Ched Arzadon, Prof. Arminda Santiago and Ms. Thenie Mariano were his reactors.

Prof. Juliet Aleta Villanueva presented her paper “Engaging Learners in a Virtual Classroom” which enumerated several programs and tools she uses in motivating students. Her reactors were Profs. Nemah Hermosa, Janet Martirez and Vladimir

UPOU to offer programs in land valuation and management

Mariano.

The third presentation was “Assessing Learning Online” by Dr. Sheila Bonito. She presented the different types assessment used in online classes. Prof. Amelia Punzalan, Dr. Jaine Reyes and Dr. Madeline Suva were the reactors for this session.

The fourth and last session was an interactive Margolis Wheel Activity moderated by Prof. Patricia Arinto, dean of the Faculty of Education. All novice DE educators were able to consult the experts regarding teaching and learning in ODeL as they went around the wheel.

With the theme “Teaching Effectiveness in an e-University in the 21st Century,” the congress was held at the Centennial Center for Digital Learning Auditorium, UPOU headquarters, Los Baños, Laguna.

The congress aimed to bring together UPOU’s regular, affiliate and adjunct faculty members to reflect on what it means to be effective online educators. Around 80 participants attended the activity. (Anna Cañas)

NCTS conducts 6-month course for tollways corporations Maribelle T. Espiritu-Lobendino, UPD-NCTS Photo taken by Mr. Ramil Almazan

The graduates pose with Mr. Rodrigo E. Franco, President of MNTC (Center-in black coat) , Ms. Lea Wong, Vice-President for Human Resources of MNTC (Center-in yellow blouse), Mr. Luigi Bautista, Senior Vice President for Program Management Operations Division of MNTC (Center-in white polo, Dr. Adeline Pacia, Deputy Director of the UP National Engineering Center (Center-in pink blouse), Dr. Jose Regin Regidor, Director of the UP-NCTS (Center-in white barong), Engr. Aileen Mappala, facilitator from the UP-NCTS after the awarding of the certificates.

Forty participants from two tollways corporations completed the six-month “Training Course on Principles and Practice of Project Preparation” last July 8.

Conducted by the UP National Center Transportation Studies (NCTS), graduation ceremonies were held last July 8 at the NCTS Toyota Training Room in UP Diliman.

Of the 40 participants, 28 are from the Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) and 12 are from the Tollways Management Corporation (TMC). They are from divisions like Office of the President; Operations and Maintenance Assurance Services; Finance; Information Technology; Construction Management Services; Roadway Engineering and Maintenance; Commercial Management and Technical Services; Traffic Management Safety; and Toll Operations.

They completed the training course which was held from January 11 to July 8 consisting of 148 total credit hours of lectures and workshops. The training course gave participants transportation and traffic concepts and principles, as well as tools and techniques in project preparation. The modules were Project Development Cycle; Market Analysis; Technical Analysis; Environmental and Social Analysis; Institutional Analysis; Financial and Economic Analysis; Public Transport Planning and Design; and Physical Distribution and Logistics.

The outputs of this training were Pre-

Feasibility Studies done by the participants.

There were four studies made: Truck Rest Service Facility; 11-Hectare Proposed Site Development; Bocaue Toll Plaza Facility at the North Exit Ramp; and Multi-Pass – Multi Application Contactless Payment System.

The lecturers were experts in the field of transportation planning, engineering and management, including NCTS Research and Extension Fellows (REF). Most of the lecturers were from the UP School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP) like Dr. Candido Cabrido, associate professor and current dean; Dr. Primitivo Cal, retired professor and former dean; Dr. Cresencio Montalbo, Jr., associate professor and NCTSREF; Dr. Jun Castro, associate professor and NCTS-REF; and Dr. Ma. Sheilah Napalang, assistant professor and NCTS-REF. Ms. Kathreen Miralles, representative of the Infrastructure Division of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), gave a lecture on Project Development Cycle.

MNTC President Rodrigo Franco noted that such trainings improve linkages of the MNTC with the NCTS. The top participants were Francis Gerard Aberilla (with an average grade of 1.27); Jennifer Jane Go (1.30); Jupiter Ramos (1.38); and Albert Alday, Jr. and Joannah Villamor (1.41).

UPLB students denounce `abolition’ of varsity teams (Continued from page 2)

means in the utilization of meager funds can be determined through a democratic process, wherein varsity players and their coaches, students and faculty members, among others, are consulted and given the genuine opportunity to take part in the University’s decision-making.”

The statement suggested that Velasco align himself with the cause of demanding sufficient state subsidy for UP, the whole education sector and basic social services.

Other groups such as Movement of Students for Progressive LeadershipUP and Buklod UPLB questioned the effectivity of the new scheme, citing disincentives to both athletes and coaches.

A Facebook g roup “Say No to Chancellor Velasco’s Anti-Varsity Team Propaganda” was created last August 4. FB group members questioned the formation of the sports committee. They called for the improvement of the Varsity Sports Program, instead of abolishing it.

The UP Open University (UPOU) will offer the first Land Valuation and Management degree in the country in the second semester of Academic Year 2011-2012.

The positive reception to the Continuing Professional Education Program in Land Valuation, which opened last school year, encouraged its formal offering.

According to UPOU, 50 to 75 percent of the country’s wealth is in the form of real estate but the sector has contributed a mere 6.3 percent to the gross national product in the past 10 years.

UPOU will offer the Diploma and Master of Land Valuation and Management in October 2011. The program is designed for real estate practitioners in government and in the private sector. It is open to those who wish to enter the profession but have no previous background.

The program aims to develop professional valuers and property managers who will be globally competitive and will promote sustainable development of the real property sector.

The Diploma in Land Valuation and Management (DLVM) program requires a bachelor’s degree in any field and takes 24 units to complete. This can be finished in two years of part-time study. DLVM includes the basic concepts and processes, various forms of land valuation and mass appraisal.

Graduates of the DLVM can pursue the Master of Land Valuation and Management (MLVM) program after successfully completing the diploma program. The MLVM requires additional 12 units, including a six-unit thesis subject.

These postgraduate programs are offshoots of the non-formal program on Continuing Professional Education Program on Land Valuation (CPEPLV) launched by UPOU in 2009, in cooperation with the Land Administration Management Project 2 (LAMP2), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Department of Finance (DOF) with technical assistance from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAid) and funding support from the World Bank.

Applications for the DLVM and MLVM programs will be accepted until September 30. For inquiries, please visit http://www.upou.edu.ph or send an email to info@upou.edu.ph.

They said that efficient scheduling of sports facilities will answer Velasco’s claim that UPLB sports activities are eased out of facilities because of the priority given to varsity teams. They debunked the argument that just because varsity teams are prioritized in facilities, they are therefore a privileged lot. For their part, varsity players felt insulted but at the same time expressed sympathy for their coaches and teammates, who nurture their determination despite lack of university support.

The FB page appeared just as Velasco, through a letter to the Department of Human Kinetics, reiterated his justifications for the revised sports program. He has instructed administrators to reserve UPLB sports facilities for PE and UPLB tournaments. He also had the management of the facilities temporarily transferred from the Department of Human Kinetics to a sports committee.

6 U.P. Newsletter

SEPTEMBER 2011

Anwar analyzes legacies of Rizal, Ninoy

Lola Sela tumanggap ng 2011 Gawad Plaridel Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo

Andre Encarnacion Photo by El Bacani

Anwar gets interviewed by national broadcast media after his lecture, as Prof. Harry Roque of the UP Institute of International Legal Studies and former Senator Heherson Alvarez look on.

“Within a few centuries, when humanity has become redeemed and enlightened, when there are no races, when all peoples are free, when there are neither tyrants nor slaves, colonies nor mother countries, when justice rules and man is a citizen of the world…”

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, recalled this 1891 statement by Dr. Jose Rizal in his lecture on “Rizal, Ninoy and Asian Leadership” last August 5 at Malcolm Hall of the UP Diliman College of Law. Anwar acknowledged Rizal as one of the many who inspired him during his youth and incarceration. In his lecture, he analyzed the legacies of Rizal and former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and how the current Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leadership could benefit from their visions.

“While in solitary confinement, I found myself gladly holding on to Rizal’s ‘Noli Me Tangere’,” he said, describing it as “a worthy companion, particularly for political prisoners.”According to him, Rizal’s democratic vision inspired him both as student and political prisoner. He also cited “Mi Ultimo Adios” as another text

from which he drew strength.

“The message of Rizal is universal and even more relevant today,” Anwar said, and credited Rizal as being “the precursor of the Asian renaissance.” He detailed the influence of Rizal in the “reawakening of Asia” two centuries before, saying that “any honest student of history will acknowledge Rizal’s role.”

Anwar also highlighted Rizal’s uniqueness, especially for his time, noting that “his courage is exemplary—one who dares speak the truth to power. Rizal is unique because he was also a man of letters: he composed beautiful and immortal work that is at the same time threatening and subversive to the powers-that-be.” So many were his virtues that Anwar acknowledged him as the “first cosmopolitan hero,” and in being so, he goes beyond the Philippines as the “pride of the Malay race”.

Rizal’s values of freedom, justice and seeking an end to tyranny were, in Anwar’s words, things that “no leader worth his salt should ever lose sight (of).” He, however, warned of present situations in the region that run contrary to these such as the persistence of suffering under “ruthless and unscrupulous leaders.”

“Magsikap at huwag hayaang mamatay ang drama sa radyo.”

Ito ang mensahe ni Eloisa Cruz Canlas nang tanggapin niya ang 2011 Gawad Plaridel sa Cine Adarna noong Hulyo 20.

Kinilala ng Kolehiyo ng Komunikasyong Pangmadla, UP Diliman ang kanyang mga kontribusyon sa pagpapaunlad ng radyo sa bansa.

Kilala bilang Lola Sela, si Canlas ay nagbigay din ng dalawang mahahalagang payo. “Paglingkuran natin ang ating bayan na malinis ang konsiyensiya” at “huwag matakot kung katotohanan ang ipinapahayag.”

Simple at maikli lamang ang kanyang talumpati. Pero ito ay kinagiliwan hindi lang dahil sa damdaming nakapaloob sa kanyang mensahe kundi dahil sa ipinakita niyang galing sa pagbibigay-buhay sa iba’tibang tauhan at hayop gamit ang kanyang Courage of Rizalian proportions

As regards Aquino, whose family the Malaysian opposition leader knew, Anwar credited the late Senator for inheriting “Rizal’s struggle for freedom and dignity.”

He lauded Aquino’s courage as being “of Rizalian proportions,” while also commemorating the sacrifice which claimed his life in 1983.

“Why should you abandon a life of comfort to confront the assassin’s bullet?

Why did Ninoy return from the security and comfort of Boston?” Anwar asked, while also saying that the song, “The Impossible Dream” was befitting Ninoy who went against “the unbeatable foe” in Marcos.

“Do you think Ninoy wasn’t crazy to challenge Marcos?” he asked, “He was. Do you think Rizal wasn’t crazy to challenge the Spanish imperialists? He was crazy. So was Moses, Jesus and Mohammed.” While praising these men as those who possessed vision, courage and conviction, Anwar said that “it’s not enough to bury the ashes of the dead. You must rekindle its flame.”

Without democracy, justice is impossible

Anwar said that Ninoy’s son, current President Benigno Aquino III, had the “moral capital to carry the torch of freedom and democracy, not only in the Philippines but also in ASEAN.” He, however, warned against the problems that hindered the progress of democracy in the region, which included a school of thought that “political stability ought to be protected more than

boses.

Apat na dekada nang nagtatrabaho si Canlas sa radyo bilang katulong sa produksyon, artista, mamamahayag, manunulat, direktor at prodyuser.

Ipinamalas din niya ang kanyang galing sa pagboses sa telebisyon, pati na ang kanyang mapanuring komentaryo sa mga nangyayari sa lipunan.

Itinayo rin niya ang Tanghalang Parisukat Training Center noong 2004 na naglalayong palaganapin ang kaalaman tungkol sa radyo, paunlarin ang industriyang ito, hasain ang pagiging malikhain at linangin ang kakayahan sa pamamahayag.

Ang Gawad Plaridel ay ibinibigay taontaon ng Kolehiyo ng Komunikasyong Pangmadla, UP Diliman sa mga natatanging manggagawa sa media. Una itong iginawad noong 2004. human rights.”

“The desire to be free is a universal and perennial human question,” he said.

“Without democracy, justice is impossible.

Each ASEAN countr y wants to be prosperous: it is a legitimate desire but without freedom and justice, prosperity is unsustainable and at best limited to the powerful and well-connected elite.”

“Political stability by itself is meaningless when it is not used to widen the practice of democracy and to enhance the institution of civil society.... If political stability is touted purely on the platform of economic prosperity...autocrats and dictators can get away with murder,” he said.

S o m e i m p o r t a n t ke y s t o g o o d governance are, according to Anwar, an independent and impartial judiciary as well as a commitment by community leaders to balance minority interests with those of the majority.

To the perpetrators of tyranny, Anwar challenged them to “look into themselves and as Rousseau once said, listen to the voice of conscience in the silence of the passions.” He added that “set against Rizal and Ninoy, these leaders come off as far below expectations if not altogether unmitigated disasters.”

“As Asia moves on and more and more of its member nations embrace freedom and democracy, then these erring states will find themselves increasingly isolated and one day will succumb. Let’s hope that day can come sooner than later,” he said.

UP Visayas team wins global business challenge Anna Razel L. Ramirez

The UPV Scions composed of J.M. Cordero, Osonio, M.F. Cordero, and Dabad, with their mentor Prof. Barrido

The “Scions” of the College of Management of UP Visayas (UPV) are this year’s global champions in the 2011 Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) Global Business Challenge held in Chengdu, China.

The team from UPV is composed of senior accountancy students Jerard Megg Cordero, Marra Francillan Cordero, Dominique Dabad and Ordisi Osonio. Prof. Arthur Barrido, Jr. is mentor of the group.

The CIMA Global Business Challenge is an international competition designed to bring out the best in the young business leaders of tomorrow.

Stage one consisted of a case study analysis, a test of professional competence in the management of an accounting case study. The participants were required to analyze the case based on a given scenario and then submit a 2,000-word report. Stage two was the synopsis and presentation.

Six teams were chosen to write a two-page synopsis and give an oral presentation. The Scions emerged as

the Philippine Champion during the competition at the Century Park Hotel last June 10. De La Salle University and Far Eastern University landed second and third, respectively.

As the winning Filipino team, the Scions represented the country in the global finals, the third stage which consisted of a presentation.

Seventeen countries participated in the competition: China, Malaysia, Bangladesh, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Russia, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and the Philippines.

Last year, the Scions placed third behind Hong Kong and Australia.

SEPTEMBER 2011

U.P. Newsletter 7

UP Manila prof is 2011 Metrobank Outstanding Teacher

UPM College of Medicine professor Dr. Jericho Thaddeus Luna

UP information via social media KIM Quilinguing

of Clinical Oncology that serves as reference on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, risk factors, diagnosis, staging, management and prognosis of breast and other gynecologic malignancies.

Luna is the only gynecologic oncologist who can do vaginal radical hysterectomy (Schauta procedure) and the vaginal radical trachelectomy (Dargent procedure), a fertility-sparing surgery for early stage gynecologic malignancies like cervical cancer.

Along with his colleagues, he trained doctors, midwives and nurses on Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) as alternative to pap smear for cervical cancer screening. VIA then was adopted by the Department of Health (DOH) as the national cervical cancer screening tool in lieu of pap smear due to lack of cytopathologists and cytology laboratories.

He also developed modules on Basic ObGyne Issues for Health Centers teaching pre-natal care, obstetric emergencies

UPRHS Glee Club wins 3 medals in Grand Prix Pattaya 2011 The UP Rural High School Glee Club bagged three medals in the recently conclud ed 4th G r a n d Pr i x Pa ttaya International Choir Festival in Pattaya, Thailand.

The glee club won a gold medal in the Folklore a Capella (F1) category and a silver medal each in the Children’s Choir (B2) and Youth Choir (D3) categories.

The competition organized by the Czech Republic’s Festa Musicale saw the

participation of 16 choir groups from the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Guam (one each) and Indonesia (12).

The eight categories were Vocal Groups, Children’s Choir, Youth Choir, Spiritual Gospel Jazz, Folklore a Capella, Chamber Choirs, Folklore with instr umental accompaniment and Mixed Choirs.

The UPRHS Glee Club and the accompanying faculty members led by the UPRHS principal, Prof. Liza

Carascal, were welcomed by the r e p r e s e n t a t ive s o f t h e P h i l i p p i n e Embassy in Thailand last July 20. The team is composed of 28 singers trained and led by conductress Prof. Marife Rebutar, and g roup leader Ronilo Jose Flores. The participating choir groups also performed in the Parade of Choirs at the Cathedral of Assumption University in Bangkok last July 21.

(BKKL)

`Mestizo’ law textbook launched Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc

Maximizing Facebook

As of this writing, the Facebook page has 172 photo albums of UP-related activities, with at least 1,000 photos.

In just three months, the number of fans on UP’s Facebook page increased to 887 daily active users, 1,384 weekly active users and 2,563 monthly active users.

According to the non-profit Facebook Guy, an active user is any person who interacts with the posts on a Facebook fan page. Daily active users are the number of individuals who have interacted with a page over the past 24 hours while weekly active users are those who have interacted with the contents on a page over the past seven days. Monthly active users are Facebook users who have interacted with the posts on a page over the past 30 days.

Active usage is defined by Facebook as users who view or interact with the page or the page’s content. It could mean anything from accessing the link posted on the fan page to viewing the pictures in the albums or merely liking a post.

After six months of maximizing the use of social media for the UP community, the number of daily active users on the university’s fan page increased to 1,989

and gynecologic cancer prevention to municipal health officers. He also served as a member of a POGS task force that initiated vaccination practice among OBGynecologists nationwide.

Eight winners were selected from 175 nominees coming from public and private educational institutions in the Philippines.

The national finalists faced the Final Board of Judges for this year’s search co-chaired

by Sen. Loren Legarda and Associate Justice Martin Villarama Jr. Other judges were Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III, Leyte Gov. Carlos Jericho Petilla, Singaporean Amb. A Selverajah, Far Eastern University President Lydia Echauz, and broadcast journalist Veronica Baluyut-Jimenez.

This year’s Outstanding Teachers, together with the Outstanding Policemen in Service and the Outstanding Philippine Soldiers, were conferred with gold medallions and plaques by President Benigno Aquino at Malacañan Palace. They also received a cash prize.

Photo by Jun Madrid

The UP System Information Office (SIO) is utilizing social media networks in disseminating information about the university.

While the UP System already had accounts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube even before the Pascual administration took over last February 10, the number of followers and activity in these social networking sites were minimal.

At the time of the turn-over ceremonies from outgoing President Emerlinda Roman to incoming President Alfredo Pascual, the UP System’s official Facebook page (facebook.com/upsystem) only had 206 daily active users, 402 weekly active users and 589 monthly active users, according to the Insights section of the Facebook page (accessible only to page administrators).

In an effort to increase its reach, SIO regularly uploaded content like pictures, videos, news articles, news links and public service announcements not only in Facebook but also in UP’s official accounts in Twitter and YouTube.

An associate professor of the UP College of Medicine is one of this year’s Metrobank Outstanding Teachers.

An educator for 10 years, Dr. Jericho Thaddeus Luna of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology teaches medical students, residents in Obstetrics and Gynecology, fellows in Gynecologic Oncology and colleagues in the field.

He has assisted the Philippine Obstetrics and Gynecological Society (POGS) in addressing Goal 5 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through his advocacy to prevent and manage postpartum hemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in the country.

He authored the LU4 Module on “Vaginal Bleeding in Pregnancy” where medical students are taught to approach the diagnosis and management of vaginal bleeding in pregnancy. He also authored a reader titled “Breast and Gynecological Malignancies” for the Philippine Handbook

Former UP College of Law Dean Pacifico Agabin

daily active users, 4,307 weekly active users and 7,287 monthly active users.

As of this writing, the number of fans on UP’s Facebook Fan Page is 16,969 with 247 daily active users, 7, 276 weekly active users, and 18,878 monthly active users.

on Twitter, only the number of followers and retweet ranks can be quoted. The website retweetrank.com places UP’s Twitter account at the 96.93 percentile ranking at 109,116 of being the most influential user on Twitter.

Maximizing Twitter

Maximizing YouTube

The number of followers of UP’s Twitter account (twitter.com/upsystem) has increased over the same period. As of press time, the account has 8,532 followers, with news organizations and government agencies among those that actively re-tweet important tweets.

However, due to limitations in measuring the activity and interactions

UP’s YouTube channel (youtube. com/upsysteminfo) has 62 subscribers with 4,339 channel views and 10,905 total upload views. Most the videos posted on the channel are lectures from the university’s professors while the others are feature stories from news organizations and audio-visual presentation from selected UP units.

The UP College of Law launched last July 22 the first of the textbooks it is publishing in celebration of its centennial.

Mestizo: The Story of the Philippine Legal System was written by former Law Dean Pacifico Agabin for the UP Law Centennial Textbook Writing Project.

Agabin said that through his book, he hopes that law students would realize that law does not exist in a vacuum. “It [involves] politics, economics, philosophy, social and individual behavior.”

Current Law Dean Danilo Concepcion said Agabin’s book is the first of more basic textbooks needed by all law schools in the country. Visiting Professor Owen Lynch congratulated Agabin for using a postcolonial perspective and situating law in the context of culture.

Agabin is an alumnus of UP (1960) and Yale (1965) law schools.

While oftentimes social media are viewed as distractions in offices and educational institutions, they have allowed SIO to promote the university’s programs, achievements and activities both in the country and abroad. Alumni who have relocated to other parts of the Philippines and other countries are among the active users these accounts.

In times of irregular weather conditions and flooding, the UP System’s social media accounts, particularly Facebook and Twitter, have allowed SIO to quickly disseminate announcements and information regarding class suspensions in the constituent universities of Diliman, Manila, Los Baños and Baguio.

8 U.P. Newsletter

SEPTEMBER 2011

UP analyzes implications of PHL’s ratification of Rome Statute Although the Philippine Senate only recently ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Institute of International Legal Studies (IILS) of the UP Law Center and the Philippine Coalition for the ICC (PCICC) organized a forum as early as two months ago to address the legal and legislative implications of the Philippines’ ratification of the Statute.

The forum “Moving Forward with the Philippine Ratification of the Rome Statute of the ICC” was held last July 18 at the Bocobo Hall and Malcolm Theater, UP Diliman.

The ICC is the per manent body which seeks to end the impunity of those responsible for crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.

With the Senate ratification, the Philippines is the 117th nation to have joined the ICC as state party. Law Dean Danilo Concepcion talked about stumbling blocks to state ratification such as governments’ fear of being prosecuted for past crimes

Photo by Jun Madrid

Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc

Parong shows a document on gender justice, as Evelyn Serrano, regional coordinator for the Coalition for the ICC-Asia, and Rebecca Lozada, national coordinator of the Philippine Coalition for the ICC, sit on the panel.

and the issue of sovereignty.

Aurora Parong of Amnesty International and PCICC, former Law Dean Merlin Magallona and Prof. Harry Roque Jr. of

IILS stressed that Philippine laws need to dovetail with the ICC. Republic Act No. 9851 (or an “Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian

Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity”) signed into law by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in December 2009 was mentioned as a parallel law. The discussants noted that central to the ICC’s mandate is the principle of complementarity, which holds that the ICC will only intervene if national legal systems are unwilling or unable to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of the crimes in question.

The discussants stressed the need for a follow-up activity to draft a roadmap on what needs to be done, including legislation and revisions of rules of courts, executive orders, and others, in adopting the Rome Statute.

Yakal Giron of the Philipppine Educators Association for Criminology Education (PEACE) said that he is committed to including ICC in the Criminology curriculum.

For his part, Roque said that RA 9851 will compel law schools to teach international humanitarian law.

UP organizes summit on disputed territories Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc

What is ours belongs to us. What is disputed may be shared.

This was the consensus at the National Summit on the Kalayaan Group of Islands (KIG) and West Philippine Sea last August 1 and 2 at Malcolm Theater, UP Diliman.

This guiding principle has been adopted by the national government.

According to Institute of International Legal Studies (IILS) Director Harry Roque Jr., this Malacañang policy entails identifying areas which are disputed and which are not, and the joint use of those that are in dispute.

“Of course, the reality is that China, as a superpower, will ultimately determine if it will allow us to share the resources from the disputed areas.”

Though united in supporting the Malacañang stand, the summit highlighted areas of disagreement between academics and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Roque cited as an example the Philippine Archipelagic Baselines Law, which the DFA supported and which former College of Law Dean Merlin Magallona and Roque charged

as unconstitutional before the Supreme Court.

Around 175 participants went to the summit, representing government agencies like the departments of Foreign Affairs, National Defense (DND), Interior and Local Government (DILG), Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Transportation and Communications (DOTC), as well as the National Security Council.

Among those who attended were Kalayaan Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon Jr. and

Rep. Dennis Socrates of the second district of Palawan.

Speakers came from the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, DND, DFA, DILG, UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) and the UP College of Law. The summit was organized by IILS of UP Law Center and UP NCPAG and held at Malcolm Theater, UP Diliman last August 1 and 2, to define the national interest in the areas as well as to produce a roadmap on how to best assert these interests.

TWSC forum takes a closer look at the AFP Andre Encarnacion

President Benigno Aquino III is in a good position to reform the military.

This was one of the points raised at the forum “The Military on the Mend – Or are the Mistahs Waiting for a Messiah?” last July 26 at Recto Hall, Bulwagang Rizal (Faculty Center), UP Diliman.

The speakers were Brig. Gen. Danilo D. Lim (ret.) of the Philippine Army, Prof.

Ricardo Trota Jose of the Department of History, UP Diliman, and Criselda Yabes, an award-winning freelance journalist who has written extensively on the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Lim spoke of his time in the Philippine Army and what he described as the “deterioration and corruption of moral

values” within the institution. He stressed the importance of “being part of the solution” and the realization that “reforms in the military would mean nothing if not accompanied by changes in the bigger picture.” He also discussed his struggle for “systemic and structural change,” and how he was detained on two separate occasions for fighting for this cause.

Lim acknowledged that the military was itself a product of politics, “ideologically shaped by those who control the political and economic power.” He said that the military as an institution was not ideologically monolithic, with many views and personalities contending against each other within it. He stressed the need for

a highly politicized and professional army that was active in nation-building, as well as for the dismantling of all private armies.

He added that those involved in extrajudicial killings should be brought to justice.

For his part, Jose discussed many traditions existing within the Armed Forces, including the revolving-door policy when it came to chiefs of staff, the reasons why the AFP has lagged behind its neighbors in terms of effectiveness, the budget issue and the AFP’s continuing dependence on the US, and the lack of historical awareness among most enlisted men, among other issues.

Despite these issues, Jose was still optimistic that President Aquino is in a good position to ensure reforms in the AFP.

CHE, National Historical Commission honor Teodora Alonso presentation on Teodora Alonso.

The first panel, whose members shared family histories and stories on the legacy of Alonso and the Rizal women, consisted of four descendants of the Rizal clan – Lisa Tinio Bayot from the Saturnina branch, co-founder of MyRizal@150, and founding chair of the Binhi English Literacy Foundation, Inc.; Maria Patricia Herbosa Grau of the Lucia branch, member of MyRizal@150, Binhi and Kawad Kalinga All ’86; Alexandra Faustman of the Maria branch, marketing manager of 7 castles, Inc. and member of MyRrizal@150 and Binhi; and Atty. Ramoncita V. Reyes of the Saturnina branch. They shared Alonso’s love for education which greatly influenced Rizal.

They also spoke ondiscussed Alonso’s industry

and efficiency in her successfully running a household and raising 11 children, as well as in managing the family’s sugar business, a mill, a sari-sari store and a store at the local tiangge.

T he second panel consisted of representatives from government, NGOs and the academe: Dr. Rosauro Sta. Maria, founding president of the United Artists for Cultural Conservation and Development; Emelita Almosara, NHCP Deputy Executive Director; and UP Professor Emeritus and former CHE Dean Cecilia A. Florencio. Sta. Maria presented a genealogy of Teodora Alonso and her ancestors while Almosara spoke on the different facets of Teodora Alonso, such as her fearlessness in speaking her mind at a time when Filipino women

Yabes said that the climate within the institution has changed. “I’m more interested in the promises that lie ahead. Are (the young officers) really from a different breed? Will they really think differently? Will they be really using their mind as a weapon and will they be politically mature?” Yabes said that it is necessary for journalists to “go to the ground level and talk to the officers” in order to get a more nuanced look at the situation from the inside.

Organized by the UP Third World Studies Center (TWSC) and the Office of the Vice-President for Public Affairs (OVPPA), the forum is the second in a series titled “The B.S. Aquino Administration - Possible Perversities, Perverted Possibilities.”

(Continued from page 4)

were usually silent. Florencio reflected on Rizal’s great appreciation of “the dailiness of life” which he learned from his mother. The “dailiness of life”, she said, is the subject of home economics, a product of intellectual, practical and administrative skills that in totality provide the rhythm and pattern of life.

The third panel consisted of members of the CHE faculty: former CHE Dean Milagros Querubin, associate professor in nutrition; Prof. Mary Ann Tumanan of the Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management Department; and Prof. Excelsa Tongson of the Family Life and Child Development Department. They analyzed the link between CHE and Alonso which goes beyond a building’s name and consists of their shared

mission to instill love of country among their students by enhancing the quality of day-today living of families and consumers. The CHE has instituted the study of Alonso’s life in its undergraduate and graduate curriculum, as well as in a faculty mentoring program.

“Isang katangi-tanging babae si Doña Teodora Alonso. Bago naging bayani si Rizal, siya’y bayani na rin,” NHCP Commissioner Fe Mangahas said.

Philippine Commission on Women Executive Director and CHE alumna Emmeline Versoza congratulated both the NHCP and the UPCHE for honoring Alonso and encouraged the CHE to further contribute to the country’s socio-cultural transformation.

SEPTEMBER 2011

U.P. Newsletter 9

1987 Constitution good basis for new one in 2016 – former UP Law dean Is the 1987 Philippine Constitution a “good” constitution?

UP Law Professor Froilan Bacungan thinks so, stressing that a good constitution is three constitutions in one – a constitution of sovereignty, which identifies the people as sovereign; a constitution of government, that is, a government for, by and of the people; and a constitution of rights, which includes all the human rights identified by the United Nations (UN).

During a forum last July 28 at the Malcolm Theater of the College of Law in UP Diliman, Bacungan said that the 1987 Philippine Constitution is a good constitution and, with improvements, can be a good basis for a new constitution in 2016.

Among his observations on the 1987 Constitution are the need to restate the right to information; to classify dual citizenship; to rethink the matter of allowing the illiterate to vote; to review the “60 percent Filipino40 percent foreign” ratio in the capitalization of Filipino companies under National Patrimony and Economy. He also stressed

the need for a more independent judiciary which cannot be influenced by politicians.

He also supported the shift from a presidential to a two-party, parliamentary form of government. The objective, he said, is to minimize the expenses of national election and to streamline the relationship between the executive and the legislature.

“We should not have good government just by virtue of luck.”

He also noted that, in the course of the history of the Philippine Constitution, the “sovereign people” had yet to promulgate the Constitution. The Malolos Constitution had been promulgated mainly by ilustrados; the 1935 Constitution through the TydingsMcDuffie Law; the 1973 Constitution was created under the shadow of then President Ferdinand Marcos; and the 1987 Constitution was crafted by the 1986 Constitutional Commission appointed by then President Corazon Aquino. “We still have yet to get the sovereign people via a constitutional convention to [promulgate the Constitution].”

Photo by Bong Arboleda

Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta

UP College of Law Professor and former Dean Froilan Bacungan

Bacungan served as the seventh dean of the UP College of Law and as director of the UP Law Center. He has been teaching Labor Law and Constitutional Law for four decades.

The forum, “The New Constitution of the Philippines that the Successor of P-Noy Should Preserve and Defend After the 2016 Election” is the fifth UP Law Centennial Lecture.

Pascual et al. discuss UP, national situation Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo

“We are united in our pursuit of increased funding for the university.”

UP President Alfredo Pascual stressed this point at a forum titled “Kapihan at Talakayan: Ang State of the Nation Address (SONA) at ang UP” at the Faculty Center, UP Diliman last July 22, or three days before Philippine President Benigno Aquino III delivered his SONA at the House of Representatives.

Pascual referred to the statement he issued last July 21 fully supporting “the call of concerned students, faculty, staff, and alumni for greater subsidy for UP.” He expressed solidarity with the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges in its appeal for a sufficient budget increase and agreed that a bigger allocation is a significant part of national development.

Pascual also encouraged members of the university community “to make their voices heard” in seeking a bigger appropriation not just for UP, but for other state universities and colleges as well.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan’s Arnold Padilla analyzed the national situation in his presentation titled “From SONA to SONA: Where’s the change?” He described the Aquino administration as “oppressive, incompetent, and subservient.”

It is oppressive, said Padilla, because of Aquino’s “anti-people policies” that favor big businesses such as his public-private partnerships agenda. His inability to protect the people from the rising costs of basic commodities and services and higher taxes that only go to debt servicing impose even heavier burdens on the people.

Padilla described the Aquino administration as incompetent because of its “slow and flawed response” to crises and “failure to meet his campaign promises.” Examples of crises are the Luneta hostage-taking, evacuation of overseas Filipino workers in countries affected by calamity or conflict and the various natural calamities that have struck the Philippines.

According to Padilla, the violent demolitions of urban poor communities, human rights

violations and cronyism still continue. He also stressed that Aquino has yet to fulfill his promise of making former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo accountable for the crimes she and her administration are accused of.

Padilla then explained how Aquino’s administration is subservient by upholding and promoting the “political and economic interests of US imperialism in exchange for its support but at the expense of national sovereignty.” These interests, he said, are being served under the Visiting Forces Agreement, monetary aid, the war on terror, the Spratlys dispute and new free trade agreements, among others.

He summed up his presentation with the prospects under the Aquino administration: economic crisis will continue to worsen; joblessness, hunger, and poverty will affect more Filipinos; political bickering will continue; peace and justice will be more elusive; and more people will become disenchanted.

Student Regent Krissy Conti then discussed the UP budget—the allocation of which, she

said, has been dwindling in the last decade or so. She enumerated six immediate needs of the university: bigger budget for maintenance, operating, and other expenses; lower out-ofpocket spending for education; increased appropriation for the UP-Philippine General Hospital; more plantilla items; more faculty items for UP Mindanao and UP Cebu; and higher allocation for the UP Manila Schools of Health Sciences in Palo (Leyte), Baler (Aurora) and Koronadal (South Cotabato).

The need for wage increase was the subject of former Faculty Regent Judy Taguiwalo’s presentation. She highlighted the fact that the Salary Standardization Law III is strongly biased against first-level employees because they get the least amount of increase as opposed to those with higher salary grades (SGs). She also talked about various House Bills (HB) that mandated wage increases.

HB 3746, for example, calls for a P6,000 increase in the minimum pay of public sector employees. HB 4523 aims to increase the (Continued on page 12)

UP forum analyzes Aquino administration KIM Quilinguing

“Trust but verify. The greater the trust, the greater the scrutiny.”

UP Third World Studies Center Director Maria Ela Atienza stressed this point at the 3rd forum on the B.S. Aquino administration titled

“Mantra Maintenance: Governance by Slogan, Administration by Spin” last August 23 at Recto Hall, UP Diliman. The forum was co-sponsored by the Office of the Vice-President for Public Affairs (OVPPA).

Photo by Jun Madrd

Atienza encourages scrutiny of the Aquino administration to go deeper than what its spin doctors conjure.

The scrutiny of the Aquino administration, Atienza said, would allow the people to see if the president and his officials pay the people’s trust with enough services or they merely run the country by spin and images.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Chair Carol Pagaduan-Araullo said that after a year in office, the Aquino administration has yet to show something concrete to the people.

While there may have been several exposés over the past few months, Araullo said that they are only meant to keep public support. She said that if the public would look closely, it will see that there has yet to be a single case filed against the former president or her family.

Citing the continuation of several questionable government programs and practices since the days of his predecessor, Araullo said that the Philippines is in the same condition as it was before the new administration assumed power. “Aquino’s ‘Matuwid na Daan’ is the same road as that taken by the Arroyo administration.”

Araullo said that while Aquino and his officials try to give a deeper meaning to the “wang-wang” (siren) term, there seems to be

little to it. The “wang-wang” doctrine, she said, is actually Aquino himself, running the country on spin and slogan. This is very much evident in the frequent use of the Aquino administration of the legacy of his parents and how much they have supposedly helped in restoring democracy to the country.

She said that the people’s high expectations of the Aquino administration will burst eventually if it continues to rely on spin and not on actual accomplishments.

Center for Strategy, Enterprise and Intelligence Executive Director Gary Olivar said that Aquino has produced little results in his first year in office.

While he is campaigning against corruption, Olivar said that Aquino is creating his own group of friends, dubbed by the media as the KKK (Kabarkada, Kaklase, Kabarilan), who had been appointed to government positions despite their questionable qualifications and pending court cases.

Olivar said that Aquino has largely made use of spin by having his sister talk about him in public. He added that stories of his love life (Continued on page 12)

10 U.P. Newsletter

SEPTEMBER 2011

UP tops licensure exams in July, August Rosell and Paul Clarence Magdael Francisco placing first, second and third, respectively.

Metallurgical Engineering

Of the 24 examinees of the Metallurgical Engineer Licensure Examination from UPD, 23 passed, giving UPD graduates a passing rate of 95.83 percent. The nationwide passing rate was 83 percent, with 33 out of 40 exam takers passing.

UP Diliman was also the best represented school out of the three whose graduates took the exam, with Mindanao State UniversityIligan Institute of Technology sending 15, and only one representative from the Mapua Institute of Technology.

Nine of the top-10 placers came from UP Diliman: Marie Angelynne Cruz Fabro, first; Rodienne Meeko Panganiban Malixi, second; Jerrick Bejar Dizon and Celaida Gayle Dusaban Gumban, fifth; Adrian James Zambrano de Guzman, sixth; Riza Annieli Velasco Mariano, seventh; Roy Angelo Bayacal Baviera, eighth; Hazel Marie Villanueva Tibule, ninth; and Kros Katlin Dizon de Leon, tenth.

(Continued from page 1)

of 96 percent, UPD was also this year’s top performing school. The national passing rate was 71 percent.

The three highest placers also came from UPD, with Jose Alexander Laurio Versoza, Farina Garrido Pontejos and Ron Marian Belegal Barbosa placing first, second and third, respectively.

Nursing

Forty-eight percent was the nationwide passing rate for the Nurse Licensure Examinations, with 37,513 passers out of 78,135 exam-takers.

The University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) shared the top spot with Cebu Normal University and West Visayas State University-La Paz as the top performing schools with a 100-percent passing rate.

All 57 examinees from UP Manila passed the licensure exam, with Jomel Garcia Lapides getting the highest score. He was followed by Kim Carmela Dee Co, second; Raymark Domingo Salonga, fifth; Maria Jalyssa Pascua Tan, sixth; and Bianca Malilay Velando, seventh.

Mining Engineering

Nutrition

Twenty-three out of 24 examinees from UPD passed the Mining Engineer Licensure Examination. With a passing rate

Both UPLB and UPD had a 100 percent passing rate in the Nutritionist Dietitian Licensure Examinations. In comparison,

67 percent of all examinees nationwide passed the examination (or 507 out of 757 examinees).

All but two spots in the top 10 were taken

by UP graduates, with Abigail Hilario Martin from UPD first; Cathlin Eliza Agustin Abraham from UPLB, second; Karen Sycip Kucingnan from UPD, third; Anjelia Caoili San Buenaventura from UPLB, fourth; Eusebia Joy Baes Mendoza from UPLB, fifth; Phoebe Dawn Santos Magsallo from UPD, sixth; Kirstein Deveza Itliong from UPLB, seventh; and Lenleigh Hope Andrade Luces from UPD, eighth.

Medicine

The recently concluded Physician Licensure Exam saw UPM and Cebu Institute of Medicine as top performing schools with a passing rate of 100 percent.

All 144 examinees from UPM passed the 2011 licensure exam given in Manila, Cebu and Davao. The national passing rate was 75 percent (or 1,605 out of 2,131 examinees).

The University of the Philippines School of Health Sciences-Leyte also had a single representative who likewise passed the examination.

Mark Augustine Saquido Onglao led other UPM graduates by securing first

`Kapihan’ launched as venue for system-wide interaction on UP issues UP Los Baños and UP Open University.

The forum started with Professor Emeritus Edgardo Gomez and Prof.

Gil Jacinto enumerating best research practices of MSI. The quality of these research projects earned international recognition and benefited the country’s marine environment and knowledge. It was noted that MSI was established due to the government’s need to have a partner that could study the country’s marine resources.

The cases showed no conflict between pursuing research excellence and relevance.

The general sentiment was that relevance, in these cases, is a matter of making the public understand what academic research is and that it redounds to their benefit.

In communicating to the public, the help of colleagues in the Humanities may be useful.

The work of scientists and artists in the Humanities and Social Sciences is relevant not only in defining Philippine culture and national identity but also in “contributing to very lucrative creative industries.”

During the forum, there was consensus that ways of acknowledging relevance to society and public good must be determined as marks of excellence as well so that promotion and recognition in the university is not entirely biased in favor of publication in ISI journals.

Popularizing UP research involves making financial supporters, including government, know that affiliation with UP research constitutes bigger value-added and consequently gives UP research a

“greater return on investment.”

Aside from helping the countr y, commercialization of research products can also augment government’s decreasing budget for UP. Commercialization requires that UP’s intellectual property rights are protected and that its intellectual property rights (IPR) mechanism is strong and accessible.

During the forum, there was a consensus as regards the need for a “one-stop shop” to handle all the university’s patent applications and other IPR matters. UP Manila’s IPR office was deemed a good case study.

If a research university is a graduate university, Pascual floated the idea of cutting undergraduate enrollment in favor of increasing graduate enrollment given UP’s limited resources. While this did not meet any resistance, there was general apprehension over the growing lack of graduate mentors.

For her part, Concepcion proposed a “UP System Research Process,” an outline based on best practices, encouraging of multidisciplinary efforts and balancing relevance and excellence through a revitalized refereeing system. The proposal incorporates a provision for inviting postdoctorates abroad which would help address the lack of mentors and prevent in-breeding as well.

The process presupposes UP System efforts at finding funders. UP’s support from its own funds can be increased as well through a proposal to charge higher overhead costs.

Funds collected from overhead charges can then be used for research projects that are not commercial or attractive to external or

Search for new UPM, UPLB, UPV chancellors on In UPM, the nominees are Dr. Manuel Agulto, an ophthalmologist and director of the Institute of Ophthalmology; Dr. Alberto Roxas, a surgeon and dean of the UPM College of Medicine; and Prof. Roland Simbulan, professor at the UPM College of Arts and Sciences and former vice-chancellor for planning and development. They presented their vision papers last August 24.

In UPLB, the nominees are Prof. Domingo Angeles of the Crop Science Cluster, dean of the College of Agriculture; Prof. Eulogio Castillo, a professor of Agricultural Economics

and former vice-chancellor for administration and community affairs; Prof. Rex Victor Cruz, UP Scientist II and dean of the College of Forestry and Natural Resources; Prof.

Rene Rafael Espino of the Crop Science Cluster and former director of the Institute of Plant Breeding; Prof. Vivian Gonzales of the National Service Training Program and director of the Office of Student Affairs; Prof. Felino Lansigan of the Institute of Statistics and School of Environmental Science and Management and former vicechancellor for research and extension; and

place, followed by Eugene Guerrero Odoño I, second; John Lyle Tron Montero Gomez, fourth; Deonne Thaddeus Vite Gauiran, fifth; Marie Shella Baduel de Robles, eighth; and Juan Carlos Reyes Abon, Jan Miguel Clutario Deogracias, and Erickson Tobias Torio, ninth.

Physical and Occupational Therapy

Out of 14 total examinees from UPM, 12 passed the Occupational Therapist Licensure Exam. The nationwide passing rate was 51 percent, with 506 passers emerging from among 984 examinees.

Both examinees who garnered the two highest places for the Occupational Therapy Examination were from UP Manila. Zebedee Matthew Chang Uy and Katerina Talla Perez got first and second places, respectively.

Veterinary Medicine

Out of 566 examinees nationwide, 204 passed the Veterinarian Licensure Examination for a national passing rate of 36 percent.

UPLB emerged as the top performing school of the year, with 32 out of 40 of its graduates (80 percent) passing the examination.

UPLB graduate Jussiaea Valente Bariuan was in third place.

(Continued from page 1)

international support.

Communicating to the public

At the August 16 forum, communicating to the public, including government, what UP is worth to the country was more extensively discussed. “Our burden is to communicate what difference UP is making to the country,” Pascual said.

It was agreed that UP must speak its publics’ language and start considering surveys and accreditation as evidence of its superiority in academic quality. In a globalized world, where standards are set, benchmarking is also now generally accepted as inevitable even in UP. Hosted by CAL Dean Elena Mirano, the second Kapihan gathered a crowd of mostly Humanities and Social Science personnel, as well as officials of UP Manila (UPM).

UP System’s Product Development Associate for accreditation Irene Villaseñor gave a run-down of relevant quality assessment instruments. She said that all these assessment mechanisms are pegged on the organization’s vision of what it is supposed to achieve. They are therefore measures of the success of an organization’s strategic plan.

Prof. Cynthia Bautista of the Department of Sociology recommended an outcomebased process and typology-based quality assurance for Philippine higher education.

She said that the need for benchmarking is a by-product of globalization which demands homogenization of standards. UP must become a research university because research has become the global mode, Bautista said.

She added that globalization also means finding niches in the global market. There is therefore a need for typology or differentiation

so that institutions with different publics and orientations are not evaluated against each other. Higher education must also be measured on the basis of its types or intended outcomes. Outcomes can include the criteria of public good and ability for lifelong learning.

Officials of UPM led by Chancellor Ramon Arcadio and College of Medicine Dean Alberto Roxas shared UP Manila’s experience in getting PAASCU accreditation.

They stressed the choice of PAASCU on the basis of the accreditation body’s track record. The success of UPM’s accreditation, however, failed to erase the apprehension of some departments, such as the Department of Speech Communication and Theater Arts, who are still at a loss as to the instrument by which to formally benchmark themselves.

UPD College of Engineering Dean Aura Matias echoed the general sentiment that accreditation may be difficult in terms of fulfilling technical and data requirements for accreditation but will end up affirming UP’s number one position. It will also give the institution a chance to see its inadequacies.

For his part, Pascual mentioned his project of e-UP to gather and integrate information about UP and make retrieval easier.

Matias suggested that UP take it upon itself to have a direct hand in local accreditation bodies, as UP Manila has done in the health professions. Affiliation with UP has traditionally been regarded as an imprimatur of quality anyway, Matias said.

This way UP can still claim to setting the academic standards.

(Continued from page 1)

Prof. Roberto Rañola of the Department of Agricultural Economics and vice-chancellor for administration. They presented their vision papers last August 18.

In UPV, the nominees are Prof. Rex Baleña, a professor of Oceanography; Prof.

Carlos Baylon of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, former faculty regent, former vice-chancellor for research and extension and former dean; Prof. Rommel Espinosa, professor of Physics and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; and Prof. Alice Joan Ferrer, professor of Economics and vice-

chancellor for planning and development.

They presented their vision papers last August 22 at Iloilo City campus, August 23 at Miagao campus and August 25 at Tacloban campus.

The BOR will select the new chancellors on September 29.

Last June 10, President Alfredo Pascual issued Memorandum PAEP 11-10 and Administrative Order PAEP 11-37 which created of search committees in the three CUs. The curriculum vitae and vision papers of the nominees are posted at the Special Features section of the UP System website (up.edu.ph).

SEPTEMBER 2011

(Continued from page 3 )

na taunang gastusin para sa mga utililities ng buong UP System.

Nagmungkahi si Pangulong Pascual ng mga paraan para makatipid at makakalap ng pondo ang unibersidad. Kailangan itong gawin para magkaroon ng karagdagang mapagkukunan para sa mga benepisyo ng mga faculty, REPS at mga kawani.

Pagkatapos ng pagbabahagi ni Pangulong Pascual ay magkakasunod namang inihapag ng mga dalawang pangulo ng AUPAEU at AUPWU at ng pangkalahatang kalihim ng AUPAEU ang mga usapin na kailangang kagyat na matugunan sa susunod na pagtatawag ng pagpupulong ng Union Management Consultative Body (UMCB) at Union Management Monitoring Committee (UMMC).

Naging matingkad sa mga binanggit ng mga kinatawan ng mga unyon ang pagpapatupad ng patakaran sa official time lalo na sa hanay ng mga kawani at REPS, seryosong pagharap sa sari-saring suliranin ng mga REPS, komersyalisasyon ng serbisyo sa PGH at pagpipinal ng Grievance Procedure.

Nagtapos ang dialogo na may namumuong pag-asa sa bawat panig na magiging mabunga ang relasyon ng mga unyon sa kasalukuyang administrasyon tungo sa pagtataguyod ng kagalingan, kapakanan at karapatan ng mga kawani, faculty at REPS. Nagtapos ang dialogo na napagkasunduan ng mga panig ang pormal na pagpupulong ng UMCB at UMMC sa Setyembre 2, 2 :00 ng hapon.

Pamantayan sa pagpili ng mga tsanselor Magtatapos na ang mga termino ng mga tsanselor ng UP Los Baños (UPLB), UP Manila (UPM) at UP Visayas (UPV) sa katapusan ng Oktubre 2011.

Sa mga pambansang asembleya ng All-UP Workers Union at All-UP Academic Employees Union noong Abril 2 at 3 sa UP Diliman, napagkaisahan muling walang iendorso na partikular na nomido ang mga unyon. Sa halip, muli itong maghahapag ng mga pamantayan para sa tsanselor ng bawat CU batay sa mga pangkalahatang katangian bilang bahagi ng UP System at mga partikular na katangian nito bilang “constituent university.”

Sa nakaraang pulong ng Pambansang Lupong Tagapagpaganap ng All-UP Academic Employees Union sa Los Baños noong Hulyo 1 at 2, inihapag ng mga kinatawan mula sa UPLB, UPVisayas at UP Manila ang kanilang mga pamantayan sa pagpili ng mga tsanselor.

Nakasulat ang mga pamantayang ito sa wikang Ingles.

UP Visayas

A Chancellor that will uphold the following: • Principles of transparency and accountability-democratic governance • Academic leadership in terms of philosophy of education • Knowledgeable in handling the use, protection and conservation of the resources of the • CU for the good of the university and the nation • Will provide best working conditions for research, teaching and extension • Unite the sectors of UP • Service to the Filipino nation • Full implementation of the collective negotiation agreement (CNA) • Pro-student, REPS, faculty, workers UP Los Baños

A Chancellor that will uphold the following: • Principles of transparency and accountability-democratic governance • Academic leadership in terms of philosophy of education • Knowledgeable in handling the use, protection and conservation of the resources of the CU for the good of the university and the nation • Will provide best working conditions for research, teaching and extension • Unite the sectors of UP • Service to the Filipino nation • Full implementation of CNA • Pro-student, REPS, Faculty, Workers • Adherence to democratic processes and governance in the university • Possesses the qualities to harmonize UPLB constituents • Administrative experience and maturity • Academic leadership • Knowledgeable in handling the use, protection and conservation of the

resources of the CU for the good of the university and the nation • Commitment to strengthen the university’s public service character and role as social critique • Commitment to strengthen academic linkages with state universities and colleges (SUCs) in the CALABARZON region especially in science and technology and culture and arts • Commitment to preserve quality environment and biodiversity of the CALABARZON region • Adherence to gender-responsiveness

Lighting a candle for Japan. Photo above: Students, faculty, and staff gather at the Palma Hall steps on August 11 to commemorate the fifth month of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan last March 11. Prof. Harashima Hiroshi of Japan Lutheran College, Prof.

Aratame Natsumi of Takushoku University, and Arai Ayaka (an exchange student) expressed gratitude to the UP community for the gesture of sympathy, unity and remembrance and said that they were overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for their country. Photo below: At the “Takbo para sa Japan” held last July 23, Vice President for Administration Maragtas Amante is seen stretching before doing a lap.

UP Manila

A UPM Chancellor who: • Supports and promotes a democratic governance structure for UPM and explicitly opposes the commercialization and privatization of the university; strengthens college councils and the university councils as mechanisms for participation; supports and promotes union activities.

• Promotes and strengthens the public character of UPM; fights for an adequate budget for education and health in general and for UPM and Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in particular; is resourceful in generating additional funds and judicious in the use of funds and observes austerity in campus activities.

• Promotes proper compensation of all employees and works for the regularization of contractual employees; creates and strengthens program for REPS. • Promotes healthy lifestyle and works for increased health benefits for its employees either through comprehensive benefits from PhilHealth or a health maintenance organization (HMO), if necessary.

• Upholds relevant health professional education and promotes multidisciplinary health educational training; encourages innovation on health curriculum that is relevant, scientific and addresses the country’s health needs and the issue of health inequities.

• Develops UPM as a decisive player in national health policy formulation based on the premise that health is a right of all Filipinos and the need to address health inequities.

• Promotes health research based on priority health needs and addresses health inequities; promotes the development of drugs and health devices that are appropriate and affordable for the marginalized Umaasa ang unyong akademiko ng UP na piliin ng Lupon ng Rehente ang mga tsanselor ng LB, Manila at Visayas na tatayong lider akademiko at modelo ng pagpapatupad ng demokratikong pamamahala sa unibersidad na may pagkalinga sa mga estudyante, faculty, REPS at kawani at naglilingkod sa bayan.

UP groups denounce closure of Kulo exhibit (Continued from page 1)

and the supposed comment by President Noynoy Aquino on the controversy – gives the impression of curtailment of freedom of expression. “In the surrender of the CCP (to the pressure of Marcos and Aquino), the rights of individual artists were also surrendered,” he said.

Lumbera who also chairs the Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) said that the CCP should have held its ground and allowed the exhibit to continue. The gallery, he said, should host the works of artists regardless of how they are interpreted by some sectors and personalities. “Sino ba si Imelda?” asked Lumbera on why the opinion of the legislator had to be taken into consideration by the CCP board of directors.

UPD Department of Arts Studies Chair Cecilia de la Paz said that the closure of the exhibit sends the wrong signal to artists and artistic expression in the country. Instead of simply considering the opinions of some individuals and religious sectors, de la Paz said that the CCP should have been more willing to consider the long-term implications of the closure. She said that the government reaction was knee-jerk and out of hysteria.

De la Paz added that Kulo should be taken as a whole and not confined only to Cruz’s work. The controversial artworks are not separate from the rest of the exhibit and they can only be appreciated if considered with the other works on display.

Former MTRCB Chair and UP College of Mass Communication Prof. Nicanor Tiongson said that “art is not just pretty Amorsolo artworks to decorate our walls.”

Emphasizing the subversive value of art, he said that some artworks depict the ugliness of society and its realities in the hope of awaking people. In the end, he said that “an

artist always dreams of a better world.”

Tracing the country’s history, Tiongson pointed out several instances when there was censorship of music, film and even ballet. He said that it is this long history of censorship which discourages producers and directors from making films that sharply depict and question social structures in the country.

According to Tiongson, filmmakers instead content themselves with run-of-the-mill films.

Tiongson said that the controversy brought about by Kulo should urge those in the academe and in the arts to promote a greater awareness and appreciation of aesthetics and their role in society. At the same time, he said that there should be greater education in the Roman Catholic Church of the value of icons and rituals and their place in people’s lives and society.

“Education should go beyond icons and rituals and emphasize spirituality and inner change.”

The UP Diliman Department of Art Studies released a statement last August 13 declaring Cruz’s works as art and demanding that the CCP re-open the Kulo exhibit.

The department also called on the CCP to uphold freedom of expression, as well as its autonomy. “(The CCP) must take the lead, not only in guarding artistic freedom but also in ensuring a safe haven where artists as public intellectuals have the freedom to exhibit.” The department also promised support to a CCP which will “provide the venue and platform for artists, educators, policymakers, students of art and the ‘public’—by no means homogenous—to come together and raise and address issues in an atmosphere conducive to forming a community of critical audiences of art.”

Photos by El Bacani and Jun Madrid.

Balitang Unyon

U.P. Newsletter 11

12 Thesis/Dissertation workshop in October The UP College of Mass Communication Foundation, Inc. (UPCMCFI) will conduct a Thesis/ Dissertation Seminar-Workshop on October 21 and 22 at the College of Mass Communication, UP Diliman.

Teachers, researchers, graduate students, government workers and private sector employees who need to know more about writing a thesis and dissertation will greatly benefit from the workshop.

Faculty members of the UP CMC Depar tment of Communication Research will facilitate the workshop.

For more details, please call Kat Ramos of UPCMCFI at (02) 981-8500 local 2678. You may also send an email to katkatramos@gmail.com and join UPCMCFI’s Facebook group (facebook. com/groups/upcmcfoundation).

Pascual et al. discuss UP, national situation

(Continued from page 9)

entry-level salary grade (SG) of faculty in state universities and colleges from SG 12 to SG 16. HB 2142 seeks to increase the wages of public school teachers from SG 11 to SG 15. HB 375, on the other hand, proposes a P125 across-the-board increase in the daily wage of private-sector employees.

Staff Regent Jossel Ebesate, meanwhile, gave an update on staff benefits. He said that the proposed 10-day additional sick leave for administrative staff is scheduled to be discussed in the August meeting of the UP Board of Regents. Ebesate is also pushing for a two-pronged system of health assessment that involves risk assessment, disease prevention and health promotion, on the one hand, and disease management and rehabilitation, on the other. He also stressed the need for streamlined task assignments as multitasking is detrimental to the employee.

He said that an ongoing study is being conducted on a housing program for UP administrative staff.

U.P. Newsletter

SEPTEMBER 2011

UPIS students shine in Milo Little Olympics Regional Finals Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta

A Grade 8 student of the UP Integrated School (UPIS) won three gold medals during the Milo Little Olympics NCR Edition Regional Finals at the Marikina Sports Park in Marikina City last August 13 and 14.

Jaime Immanuel “Jimboy” Mejia won the gold in the 400-Meter Low Hurdles, 200Meter Dash and 400-Meter Dash.

Nine other UPIS students won several more medals in other track and field events, bringing UPIS’ total haul to four gold medals, three silver medals, and two bronze medals.

Together with Mejia, Grade 10 student Joseph Bautista and Grade 8 students Earl Christopher James Mandapat and Melvin Ariel Sangalang won the gold medal in the 4x400-Meter Relay Race. Mejia and Bautista won silver in the 4x100-Meter Relay.

Grade 9 student Carl Bryan Morales won silver medals in the 1,500-Meter Run and 800-Meter Run. Grade 10 students Ryann Remo Bugarin and Justin Ryann Duñgo won bronze medals in the 100-Meter Row Hurdles and Discus Throw, respectively.

Bautista placed fourth in the 110-Meter Hurdles and the 100-Meter Dash, while Grade 9 student Paul Renzo Domingo placed 4th in the 5,000-Meter Run. Grade 7 student Jasper Navoa placed 5th in the

The UPIS Track and Field team. Mejia is at extreme right of first row, and Morales, in the middle of first row.

Discus Throw and Grade 10 student Jasper Dominic Bongalonta placed 6th in the 1500and 800-Meter Run. Antonio Potenciano, Jr. is the head coach of both the UP and UPIS Track and Field Teams. Mark Reyes is assistant coach of the UPIS Team.

Potenciano credited the win to the scientific approach in the training program of the students, focusing not only on the physical aspect through cardiovascular,

UP forum analyzes Aquino administration

(Continued from page 9)

tend to circulate whenever his approval ratings start to fall.

Olivar said that Aquino has not yet to fulfilled the promises he made. The Freedom of Information Act, which Olivar said is essential to transparency and accountability, is yet to be passed.

Investigative journalist Ellen Tordesillas said that while much of what the Aquino administration can do remains to be seen, it still has a clear mandate from the people. The president, Tordesillas said, will not knowingly be corrupt or make money out of his presidency since he comes from a family of means.

Tordesillas said that compared to its predecessor, the Aquino administration has created a climate of transparency. She clarified, however, there is still a need to pass transparency laws such as the Freedom of Information Act. Tordesillas said that there are a lot of power-brokers and groups within Malacañan Palace. She said that with Aquino constantly being influenced by difference personalities and groups, it is difficult to say what will happen in the next five years.

Excellence in Powerlifting. UP Diliman Engineering student Raymond Debuque (middle) won the gold medal in Squats Category and the silver medal in the Sub-Junior Division (120 kg. weight class) of the 2011 IPF Sub-junior and Junior Powerlifting World Championships held from August 30 to September 4 in Moose Jaw, Canada.

Remembering UP during martial law rooms.”

“After the declaration of Martial in 1972, University life became much more sedate and, to those who had experienced or witnessed its more fiery years, even lackluster,” according to A University for Filipinos, a 1984 coffee-table book produced by the UP administration for UP’s diamond anniversary.

According to Jaime Laya in his essay “First Quarter Storm: Days of Thunder at the BA” in 50 Kuwentong Peyups, the declaration “didn’t really cause that much of a stir at BA. I would say that most sighed in relief as classes resumed without the disruptions of the previous

strengthening, endurance program and skills training, but also on mental ability and preparation.

He also cited the UPIS athletes’ innate talent, particularly in Mejia’s case. “When he [Mejia] was in sixth grade, he was champion [in the track and field events] of the Palarong Pambansa, where he was MVP for the National Capital Region. Last year, he didn’t race…but this year, he actually broke all the records in the Milo Little Olympics (the first time in 25 years).”

Potenciano encourag ed the UP community to help support UP and UPIS athletes who continue to be handicapped by lack of funds, equipment and even food during practice sessions and events. He called on the UP alumni, in particular, to adopt a UP athlete.

He maintained his belief in the skills and abilities of the UP and UPIS athletes, as well as the soundness of the UP training program for track and field, which continues to reap results. He said that this is the case despite the fact that UPIS athletes have to train in the school’s 40-meter corridor due to lack of venue or equipment, and have to juggle their training with their studies.

He said that in inter-sports competitions like the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), individual events such as track and field, martial arts, swimming, gymnastics and lawn tennis garner higher points than team events, thus boosting the school’s overall score.

“We really need to invest in the individual events.”

(Continued from page 3)

two years.”

As a state university, UP played an active part in the social engineering project of martial law. “Different units were gradually turned into technological resource centers… [UP] also became a rich source of advanced expertise for the ruling faction, especially for its technocratic machinery, its political powerhouse, and its intelligence operations units,” Jose wrote.

Because of this many were demoralized and left. Others were arrested. “Many joined the forces fighting underground or aboveground…” including students, and got killed or disappeared. “By the end of the year 1972 and early 1973, some 15

faculty members who had allegedly gone underground were dropped from the rolls of the University for unexplained long absences,” Evangelista wrote.

Toward the end of the 1970s, many would reappear as “balik-aral” or “balikturo” and they were welcomed as heroes.

The classroom was deemed as the haven, despite being unsafe, of academic freedom where those who refused to be coopted can carry “their freedom and poverty with dignity and pride,” Jose wrote, adding that students fought to revive the Student Council and the Philippine Collegian and that they succeeded under certain conditions.

U.P. NEWSLETTER PROF. DANILO ARAÑA ARAO Editor-in-Chief JO. FLORENDO B. LONTOC Managing Editor PROF. LUIS TEODORO Editorial Consultant ANDRE ENCARNACION, CELESTE ANN CASTILLO LLANETA, JO. FLORENDO B. LONTOC, KIM QUILINGUING, ARLYN VCD P. ROMUALDO Writers BONG ARBOLEDA, MISAEL BACANI, JONATHAN MADRID Photographers CELESTE ANN CASTILLO LLANETA 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