Vision of Chancellor Rivero (2010-2013) Print PDF

Written by Rene Estremera | 07 September 2010

The Green University Town: A Vision of the University of Tomorrow

Prof. Gilda Carballo Rivero, Ph. D.
Professor of Biology
Candidate, Chancellorship UP Mindanao

I am honored that you have taken the time to be with us today. I am also humbled by the fact that your presence here can be attributed to no other reason but that you want to unselfishly contribute towards helping us define our future as an institution of learning. For my part, I shall take this engagement as an opportunity to share with you my own vision of the future of UP, particularly of UP Mindanao, as an educational institution. Hopefully, I shall be able to engaae you, through this talk, in fruitful conversation so as to further blaze trails, build bridges and forge networks, all part and parcel of making our collective dreams real.

In 2008, we celebrated our 100th year. Our celebration was capped by the signing into law of the new charter of the University of the Philippines by Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, herself an alumna of the University. This law institutionalizes the position of the University as a National University, a legal affirmation that, indeed, it is the leading educational institution in the country.

We take pride in our designation as sue generis, in our being a cut above the crowd. We are also fully aware of the heavy responsibility that such a stature begets. We acknowledge with the deepest sense our debt of gratitude to our country that, in the past, during a more radical point of. the University's history, was articulated by the Maoist-inspired slogan to "Serve the people!" Lately, it is expressed in the more assertive statement "UP ... ang galing mo!", a call for excellence in anything we do, with unabashed pride in the past, propelled by the power of the present, to fulfil the promise of the future.

UP Mindanao, the youngest in terms of number of years in existence among the Constituent Universities of the UP System is just as committed to excellence as the rest of the UP community are. In fact, our VISION is encapsulated in just that one word EXCELLENCE which exhorts each one to excel in leadership, education, nationalism, culture and environmental nurturance. Aware of its potential to assume a pivotal role in the development of Mindanao, we have tasked ourselves with a MISSION to lead in providing affordable quality education, scholarly research, and responsive and relevant extension services to diverse, marginalized and deserving sectors in Mindanao and the neighbouring regions through its programs in the sciences and the arts, inculcating a passion for excellence, creative thinking, and nationalism in the context of cultural diversity in a global community.

The university has evolved the last 13 or so years, developing new ways to fulfil its commitment to serve a rapidly changing world. Recent events indicate that the world has once again been transformed -- politically, economically, and technologically. And those transformations must guide our trajectory in the years ahead. To be relevant, we must appreciate the challenges and the opportunities that those transformations present. And like the prime movers of its yesteryears the university must be prepared to revisit elements that may once have been useful but today hinder our efforts to teach and to contribute.

Our trajectory begins where we stand today with established core competencies, enabling UP Mindanao to offer sustainable quality academic programs. It begins with a commitment to the broadest and deepest possible expression of intellectual excellence. The learning environment now rests on a pluralistic academic culture where many individuals have made transformative contributions at the heart of long-established intellectual disciplines and many others have collaborated in unexpected, even unlikely ways, to develop entirely new approaches to understanding our world - these, UP Mindanao pursues as the leading research institute addressing national issues haVing been recognized as the CHED Zonal Research Center for Region XI.

Technology will, most likely, continue to change the shape of the world we live in. The internet revolution which started in the '80s will suck us into riding its crest lest we get drowned in our technological incompetence. This unstoppable technological advance will give rise to a knowledge-based economy where innovation and technology are the key driving forces that will spearhead our march to progress. It will also spawn an enthusiasm for the technology-enabled educational system to help equip our young with the skills and qualities crucial for survival in a knowledge-based economy.

This educational system will encourage the young to be innovative, to come up with new ideas, to dare to experiment and be enterprising. It will keep them abreast with emerging technologies to ensure that they continue to improve, to do things differently and to break new grounds.

It is undeniable that science and technology will have a profound impact on every aspect of our everyday lives. It will dictate how we live and how we will be living in the future. This is why science and technology will inevitably be the developmental frontline. At the risk of alienating my colleagues from the Humanities, the Social and the Management Sciences, I daresay that if we were to remain true to our character as a prime institution of learning, we may have to focus on growing our human resources, infrastructure and intellectual capabilities in support of scientific and technological initiatives as these will be the keys to the future growth of our country. This will mean that the university has to steel itself to the challenges of being abreast with technological development including the acquisition of cutting-edge technology as well as the pedagogical tools and techniques that will best transmit these to its students.

Heretofore, I have championed the primacy of Science and Technology. Let me now play the role of devil's advocate by putting on my mantle as a practicing biologist. I share the view espoused by Dr. Thomas Hughes, Professor Emeritus on Scientific History of the University of Pennsylvania, that while the future is largely shaped by technological progress, history reveals, however, that the progress of technology is value-laden and human-shaped. People and their values shape technology. At the end of the day, the worth of the technological advance will have to undergo the litmus test of whether it has also advanced the cause of humanity.

Our experiences with the uncontrolled adoption of technological advances have sometimes been disastrous if viewed in the light of their adverse impacts on the ecological balance. The internet revolution has resulted in a generation of digital natives: kids who have grown with and are adept at the use of electronic gadgetry. Sadly lacking at times, however, is an awareness of their stewardship responsibilities over the country's natural wealth.

A technology-enabled educational system has to be accompanied by the promotion of a mindset that has a bias towards ecological preservation and a vigilant attitude towards environmental protection. Such a mindset can best be promoted by a University that practices and actualizes this in the way it crafts and manages its physical infrastructure development program. Hence these "green revolutionaries" will be occupying buildings that conform to topography, protect natural water systems, consider wind directions and utilized solar-powered cells for energy efficient lighting and cooling systems, and collect rainwater in catchment basins.

This is going to be quite challenging. To meet this challenge, UP Mindanao must be the university that can best prepare our students for lives of contribution and meaning. We must be the university where they are most likely to become voraciously curious like eternal children yet culturally, socially, and scientifically literate and responsible adults. Our graduates will have as trademarks being critical thinkers naturally manifesting a facility with numbers and a familiarity with the use of high-tech gadgetry yet well-rooted in the real world to enable them to employ the theorem of Pythagoras in approximating the distance between two inaccessible points of a plantation or to make use of differential equations to manage inventory levels or, else, to orchestrate the inflows and outflows of cash.

For this to happen, the university has to put in place initiatives that will bring about this transformation. One such initiative is continuous upgrading of the faculty. Everything begins with the faculty. At no time in the history of higher education has the quality of individual faculty members been more important. The more collaborative form of scholarship that prevails in many domains today means that top professors are, more than ever before, human magnets who attract others of comparable ability to work with them. Towards this end, we intend to remain focused on attracting and retaining a broadly diverse faculty of extraordinary men and women -- the professors whose ideas will shape our world in the decades to come.

But having assembled such a faculty, we must ensure that our students reap the full benefit of their presence. Today mere facts are more readily accessible than ever before; our students look to their professors less as sources of information and more as sources of guidance on how to discern truth and understanding. Hence, we will strive to provide our faculty with the technological and pedagogical resources they need to provide that kind of guidance of their students through their courses. We will encourage our students to be active collaborators with the faculty in research and scholarship. And we will ensure that every student has the opportunity to find a professor who is also a true mentor, a role model who can offer meaningful guidance about questions related to a particular course, research project or national issues.

We will try to reduce the boundaries between faculty and students, both during the school day and after classes end. Even more importantly, we will continue to build an intellectual community of outstanding students that do not allow gender, religion, race, or wealth to hinder the fruition of positive relationships. The boundaries that used to separate people into categories are no longer relevant. Today, what matters most is talent. In all likelihood, our students will graduate into a world where boundaries of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, social class, and nationality matter far less than ever before. In their professional environments they will need to work effectively with people who are very different from themselves. Before they step out into those environments, they should experience the benefits of living in a diverse community, enjoying the variety of perspectives that people bring from different backgrounds, while also appreciating the overarching commonalities that transcend such differences. Thus, no matter what their personal background might be, they ought to be given the opportunity to take advantage of all aspects of the university community's diversity, encouraged to reach out across boundaries to meet one another, challenged to see the world through the eyes of others.

The need to maintain such socioeconomic diversity will require careful coordination of our tuition and financial aid policies as well as acquisition of new scholarship grants. This will also require the further strengthening of the Socialized Tuition Fee Program that allows students from low- and middle-income families to enjoy the benefits of a UP education through subsidized enrolment.

Corollary to this is the crafting of a physical learning environment that promotes efficient knowledge acquisition. UP Mindanao will continue to promote the pedagogical belief that knowledge is best acquired when the learning process is conducted in a non-threatening environment. This is why our campus development plan is to build a green university town characterized by a profusion of parks and open spaces, low individual stand-alone units, and freedom of movement in a secured setting.

However, the idea of a green university town should go beyond the physical. "Greenness" ought to be a way of life and the adoption of a mindset that puts personal preferences in the side of environmental nurturance and ecological responsibility. The university is not just a disseminator of knowledge. It must also assume the role of protector of heritage. This heritage is not just about culture and artifacts. It must also include the environmental heritage which must be sustained as it is passed on from one generation to the next.

I shall end this talk by making the assertion that an excellent educational institution has to have in-place excellent teachers, outstanding students and a learning environment that is conducive to knowledge acquisition. We think we can stand abreast with anyone insofar as quality of faculty and students are concerned. We think we have been quite successful in instilling a research orientation and a culture of excellence in our academic community. And, God willing, if resources permit, we will have a campus worthy of the appellation "green university town".

Daghang salamat kaninyong tanan.

Message of Pres. Roman to the Graduates of UPMin Class of 2010 Print PDF

Written by Rene Estremera | 07 September 2010

GRADUATION MESSAGE
By Emerlinda R. Roman
President


Dear graduates, if you will pardon the cliché, you have come a long way. And this afternoon, before you step into the new paths you will be walking, let me put a question: have you given a thought to what you have to offer?
You may be thinking: offer to whom? Your parents? Your family? Well, many of you will plan to get a job, practice the profession you have been trained for, contribute to the family income, help support your siblings. Those are good goals, and I hope you will indeed achieve them. But I would like you to go beyond that. I would like you to think beyond yourself as an individual or as a member of your family.
The question “what can you offer” really means “what can you contribute”? That is, what can you contribute to society? Of course you can contribute your talents, your skills, your gifts. You can also contribute your efforts, your hard work, your persistence and determination. And if we’re speaking long term, your becoming leaders of the nation.
But let us pause a minute and go to something more basic. The most basic, the most necessary thing which I hope you are prepared to contribute is something you might think old-fashioned. I refer to good citizenship. There is no way you can even think of being a leader, if you have not figured out what it means to be a good citizen.
What does being a good citizen mean?     I suggest to you that it means, above all else, thinking beyond the self, pointing your thoughts not just on what is good for you but thinking about the implications of your decisions on others, the significance and value of your actions on society and  knowing what it’s like to pull together for the common good.
This translates into knowing your place and doing your part, in both the most simple ways (like obeying traffic rules and not littering), and in more critical ways (like paying taxes, and voting according to your conscience, and standing up to be heard on important issues). And it is based on the firm conviction that what you say and do makes a difference.
Again, we need to examine a little bit more of that common phrase – “making  a difference”. What we say enters into collective consciousness, becomes part of the national zeitgeist, the spirit of the time and place. Other people hear it and are affected by it. We all know that the effect of a statement like “I’ll never be good enough to do that” is very different from the effect of a statement like “If I try hard enough, I know I can do it.”
Similarly, when we say “Of course he’s corrupt – he’s a Filipino after all,” we convey and create a completely different feeling from when we say “Of course some Filipinos are corrupt, but some Filipinos are not.” And it isn’t only other people who are affected by our words. We ourselves are affected as well.
In much the same manner, what we do – whether or not anyone else sees it – has an effect on both ourselves and the people connected to us, as well as on the society of which we are a part.
A lie makes a fool of someone. Theft takes away from someone. Breaking our word disappoints someone who was counting on it. The sale of a vote deprives a more deserving candidate of the chance to lead, and deprives his or her constituency of the opportunity to experience more effective leadership.
With each careless act we chip away at the structure and weaken it. With each unthinking, irresponsible act, we weaken our own house, our own nation, and render it more unstable, more vulnerable. And, needless to say, we weaken our own characters.
The belief that something is okay as long as “one gets away with it” is a mistaken notion. In fact, one never gets away with anything. Not really. What one gets is exactly what one deserves. A nation is what its citizens make of it.
There is hardly any point in trying to become an inspired leader if one doesn’t understand what it means to be a good citizen, a responsible member of society. I would be quite disappointed if I thought that you – soon-to-be graduates of the University of the Philippines – did not believe that this precedes being a successful entrepreneur or a brilliant professional.
Again, this is hardly a new idea. In fact, there was a time when we took it all for granted. Which might be why it seems like an old-fashioned notion today. Parents taught it to their children. Teachers reinforced it in the classrooms. Priests preached it from their pulpits. Political leaders relied on it as the basis for governance. No longer. We seem to have forgotten it.
How this happened is easy enough to explain. Repeated and protracted economic crises split up families, depriving children of their parents’ guidance. Phenomenal population growth crowded our schools, preventing teachers from influencing their students as they should. Widespread corruption eroded the authority of both church and state. The complicated, multilayered dilemmas of modern life wrecked havoc on old certainties.
We have grown more and more skeptical, more and more cynical. Today, the prevailing creed is quite obviously: “It’s every man or woman for himself or herself.”
But, ladies and gentlemen, we all know a society built on such a creed will not hold. For some time now, we have been witness to the effects of just such a frame of mind. And these effects are frightening. We all realize how fragmented, contentious, disaffected, and undisciplined our society is.  And we recognize that this is what is keeping our country from taking its place among the world’s strong nations.
Dear graduates, this, unfortunately, is what you confront as you begin your new lives. A bleak prospect? I would be lying if I did not admit that it is.
However, I choose to think that the future is not a dark one. It is not too late to reverse the situation. There is room for optimism. We must begin by returning to the basics. There is no reason why we cannot learn, all over again, to be good citizens. It is not so complicated after all. Everything else that you become must be built on that.
I look into your faces now, and I am firmly convinced that you have it in you to do this. I think of your parents and your mentors, and of how through all these years, despite the numerous constraints under which they have had to struggle, they have managed to guide you to this spot on which you stand today. I know what they are thinking today. And I feel that their bright hopes and brave efforts cannot possibly be futile.
Our generation may have failed to see or acknowledge how much responsibility we ourselves bore for the continuation of the circumstances that we now live in. Perhaps we were not brave enough, not heroic enough to change what needed to be changed, to challenge the questionable, and to defend what is right.
I believe that you and your generation have the strength and the will to accept the responsibility for it; to commit yourselves to it; to live your lives as you know they should be lived; and to do it with courage, imagination, and good humor – qualities we all know Filipinos do not lack.
Your role as good citizens is significant. It is a tough world out there but I hope you will strive to make it better because we need you to show us our own greatness.

UP Alumni Association Davao 2009 Annual Report Print PDF

Written by Rene Estremera | 03 May 2010

DSC04126

(L-R) Francisco Ramos,  Chairman Sebastian Angliongto, Office Secretary Marian del Mundo, Doris Tagle-Villareal, Pres. Cherry Napala, Mrs. Sylvia and Atty. Pedro Morales, UPMin Chancellor Gilda Rivero.

28 April 2010

HON. ALFREDO E. PASCUAL
President
UP Alumni Association
Diliman, Quezon City


Dear President Pascual,

Madayaw from the UP Alumni Association - Davao!

We are pleased to inform you that UPAA - Davao Chapter celebrated its 60th anniversary in December 2009. In conjunction with this milestone, we are respectfully transmitting to your office this Annual Report for the year 2009, for your consideration as "UPAA Outstanding Alumni Chapter". This document reports the work, achievement, accomplishment and performance on which this nomination is made and the justification for giving it special recognition. 

Daghang salamat!

Very truly yours,


MA. ALFREDA F. NAPALA              SEBASTIAN L. ANGLIONGTO
President                                          Chairman


2009 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE U.P. ALUMNI ASSOCIATION-DAVAO CHAPTER


The 60th Anniversary of UP Alumni Association – Davao Chapter

The UP Alumni Association - Davao Chapter (UPAAD) was founded in December 3, 1949. Therefore, the year 2009 was its 60th founding anniversary, or Diamond Year. Throughout its history, the UPAAD and its members were strongly supportive in the effort to create a UP in Mindanao, which was realized in 1995. The UPAAD is based in Davao City where UP Mindanao (UPMin) is located. UPAAD therefore is constantly present in UPMin activities. In turn, many of the UPAAD-initiated activities are directed towards UP Mindanao.  

UPAAD Directors in January 2009

In January 2009 the UPAAD Board of Directors was composed of the following members:

Pedro P. Morales Jr.-Chairman, Francisco B. Ramos Jr.-President, Ma. Alfreda “Cherry” F. Napala, Benjamin B. Garcia, Sherwin Alexander T. Ramos, Anacleto B. Millendez, Rene A. Estremera, Crisostomo S. Serrano Jr., Roberto P. Alabado III, Lizabel G. Holganza, Estrellita Tolentino-Rojas,  Joel N. Sagadal, Krishna B. Hernandez, Jose R. Manulid III, UPMin Chancellor Gilda C. Rivero, Ex-oficio member. Directors Alabado, Estremera, Hernandez, and Sagadal are also employees of UP Mindanao and are present in most UP Mindanao events.

Pasiklaban sa Centennial

Pasiklaban is an annual event which the UPAAD created in 2006 with the objective of bringing alumni together. The strategy is to organize a skit competition and invite UPMin student organizations to participate in order for them to gather their alumni.

The Pasiklaban sa Centennial was held on January 31, 2009 at the CAP Auditorium, Davao City. The student organizations who joined were BA Communication Arts (who won First Prize), BS Applied Mathematics (Second Prize) and BS Food Technology (Third Prize). Points were given to the groups based on the number of participating alumni. A number of alumni participated in each of the three presentations. Among the judges was UPAAD member Dr. Celia Castillo. UPAAD's Atty. and Mrs. Morales performed a musical number in the program. Dir. Alabado and Holganza served as emcees.        

Dinner for UP Pres. Roman and Party

UPAAD hosted a dinner for UP Pres. Emerlinda Roman and Faculty Regent Judy Taguiwalo and party on Feb. 26, 2009. This was on the occasion of the UP Board of Regents' meeting held in UP Mindanao. The dinner was hosted by UPAAD chairman Morales. Also present were officials of UPMin, UPAAD, and the UP Mindanao Foundation (UPMFI) led by Chairman Sebastian L. Angliongto and Vice-Chairman John Y. Gaisano Jr., both lifetime members of UPAAD. Also present was the UP Los Baños Alumni Association Davao headed by their President Benny Corcolon and Vice-President Nelson Villamor. 

Participation in the opening of the DOST-UP Mindanao Biotech Facility

The DOST-UP Mindanao Biotech Facility was opened in March 2009 by DOST Secretary Estrella Alabastro and UP Pres. Roman. UPAAD members S. Angliongto, J. Gaisano, Daniel Guillen, among others attended this historic occasion.

Participation in Consultation Forum for UP's Next 100 Years

UPAAD participated in UP Mindanao's "Consultative Forum for UP's Next 100 Years" held in Grand Men Seng Hotel, Davao City in April. Among UPAAD members who participated were S. Angliongto, M.A. Napala, Celia Castillo, F. Ramos, J. Gaisano, Romulo Palcon, D. Guillen and others. Their participation contributed to the recommendations that were presented in the UP System Conference held in Subic.

Generated 157 new members from UP Mindanao Class of 2009

Some 157 graduates of UP Mindanao Class of 2009 applied for membership to the UPAAD. Most of these graduating students applied for membership for one year. UPAAD will contact these members to renew their membership to the UPAAD when their membership expires. 

Participation in UP Mindanao's 12th Commencement Exercises

The UPAAD took part in UP Mindanao's 12th Commencement Exercises held on April 22, 2009 at the UP Mindanao Atrium. UPAAD President F. Ramos administered the Oath of Loyalty to the UP Alumni Association to the 157 graduates of Class of 2009. Also present in the event was UPAAD's L. Holganza, and others.

Participation in Centennial Culmination Activity

UPAAD participated in the UP Centennial Culminating Activity on June 18, 2009 in UP Mindanao. Mr. Gaisano, Ms. Napala, and Mr. Guillen, among others, participated in the simultaneous flag-raising for UP's next century and the ribbon-cutting to open  UP Mindanao's new covered walk at the College of Science and Mathematics.     

Re-constitution of Directors

The UPAAD was unable to hold an election for directors in 2009. In August, the incumbent directors were asked to serve in a hold-over capacity until an election could be held in 2010. Only Mr. Manulid declined. As a result, UPAAD member and past chairman Mr. Angliongto was invited to replace Mr. Manulid for the interim.  

Elected as officers were: SL Angiongto, Chairperson (vice Mr. Morales); MAF Napala, President (vice Mr. Ramos Jr.); BB Garcia, Vice-President; ST Ramos, Secretary; AB Millendez, Asst. Secretary; RA Estremera, Treasurer; CS Serrano, Asst. Treasurer; RP Alabado, PRO-Internal; LG Holganza, PRO-External

The UPAAD Board agreed to celebrate its 60th founding anniversary with activities that would culminate in a foundation day event.

Participation in Kadayawan Festival

UP Mindanao participated in the Davao City Kadayawan Festival Floral Parade for the first time in 2009. The UPAAD provided material support to the UP Mindanao delegation who constructed the floral float. UPAAD member and incumbent City Councilor Ma. Belen Acosta likewise extended material and moral support. Directors Napala and Ramos, among others, joined the parade in August 3, 2009.  

Groundbreaking of DOST-UPMin Biotech Complex Phase 1

UPMin held the groundbreaking ceremony of its DOST-UPMin Biotech Complex Phase 1 in September 15, 2009. This was led by DOST Secretary Alabastro, CHED Chair and UP Board of Regents Chair Emmanuel Angeles, UP Pres. Roman, and UP officials and partners. The UPAAD delegation was composed of Councilor Acosta, Ms. Napala, FB Ramos, and DC Guillen among others.

UP Clean and Green: An Environmental Lecture-Forum on Solid Waste Management

To start its 60th anniversary activities, the UPAAD organized "UP Clean and Green: An Environmental Lecture-Forum on Solid Waste Management" on November 6, 2009. Invited to attend were Barangay Captains of Barangays Mintal, Bago Oshiro, Mulig, Bangkas Heights, Sto. Niño, Tacunan, Catalunan Pequeño, Tugbok, Los Amigos,  Talomo and Calinan, all in Davao City, and Barangays Sta. Emilia and Sinobong of Veruela Municipality, Agusan del Sur.

The Resource Speakers were UPMin Prof. Antonio Obsioma, Davao City Councilor Leonardo Avila and Mr. Jose Nobleza. Prof. Obsioma presented "Best Practices of solid waste management in Sta. Cruz Municipality, Panabo City and Samal City". Councilor Avila presented "Solid Waste Management Program of Davao City". UP alumnus Mr. Jose Nobleza did a talk and demonstration of some technologies developed in his Davao City Organic Center.

Parangal sa Alumni, December 5

The UPAAD observed its 60th Founding Anniversary with a "Parangal ng Alumnay" celebration on December 5, 2009. Some 175 alumni and friends attended the affair.  Invited as guests of honor were UP College of Law alumnus and incumbent Congressman Simeon A. Datumanong and UP Los Banos alumnus and incumbent Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri, authors of House Bill 5946 and Senate Bill 3304 respectively, both of which propose a special development fund for UP-Mindanao. Only Senator Zubiri was able to attend and during his keynote address the Senator pledged to “adopt” UP-Mindanao as the highest-priority UP campus of the present. 

The evening's program presented a brief history of how the UPAAD contributed to the creation of UP Mindanao. The program honored UPAAD's past presidents which included Atty. Guillermo Torres Sr. (represented by his son "Willie" Torres Jr.), UPAAD historian Atty. Lualhati Hilario (represented by her son, Perry Hilario), Anacleto B. Guevarra, Luciano Puyod III, Corazon “Zony” Reyes, Francisco Ramos Jr., Pedro Morales Jr., and Sebastian Angliongto. Performances were given by the UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble, the UP Mindanao Literary Circle and the UPAA Davao officers, with guest alumna Doris Tagle-Villareal. Plaques of Appreciation were also given to sponsors Grand Men Seng Hotel, Tagum Development Corporation and Mrs. Pacita Dizon.

Pasiklaban sa Kasadya

UPMin and the UPAAD held a joint presentation called "Kasadya ug Pasiklaban 2009". Kasadya is UPMin's annual Christmas lantern parade. The joint event was held on December 16, 2009 at the Davao City People's Park, a popular public space populated by sculptures created by UP Fine Arts alumnus Rey "Kublai" Millan. This event was incuded in the Davao City  LGU's Christmas season public offerings. Again, the event was successful in bringing the alumni together. 

Kontra-Gapi Tour to Davao City

UP Diliman's Kontra-Gapi ethnic music ensemble performed in Davao City on February 12-14, 2010. The tour was made possible through the contributions of UP Diliman, UPMin, the UPMin Alumni Association (UPMinAA) and the UPAAD. The responsibility of the UPAAD was to help UPMin generate resources for food and materials needed for the performances. Kontra-Gapi performed in UP Mindanao, Davao City People's Park and at Matina Town Square. The performances were accompanied by workshops and interactions in music, dance, mime and painting. The performance-tour of Kontra-Gapi was a success based on the response of audiences and participants. 

Other UP alumni activities in Davao City

Beta Sigma alumni enters into partnership with UP Mindanao

Alumni of the Beta Sigma fraternity and Sigma Beta sorority from the Philippines and abroad came to Davao City and established a project in UPMin in the year 2009. On February 20 they held the Tito de Santos Memorial Medical/Dental Mission for residents of Barangays Mintal (UPMin's home barangay) and Bago Oshiro. On October 19, the alumni returned to have a "soft-launch" for the construction of a UPMin Infirmary. On November 25, Betans Spirit Foundation Beta Sigma President Jesus "Sonny" Pagador signed a memorandum with UPMin for the construction of the Infirmary. This was promptly completed in early 2010. UP Pres. Roman personally cut the ribbon to open it on February 26, 2010.

UP Los Baños Alumni Association joins UPMin tree-planting

The UPLBAA is an active presence in Davao City, with members who also belong to the UPAAD. The UPLBAA participated in the "Tree-Planting Activity in the UP Mindanao Perimeter", held on August 29, 2009 in conjunction with UPMin and the Army Reserve Command. The UPLBAA likewise hosted a dinner for Kontra-Gapi during the ensemble's performance in Davao City on February 13, 2010.




Prepared by:

RENE A. ESTREMERA
Director, 2009-2010
(082) 293-0016

The Role and Mission of UP Mindanao Print PDF

Written by Rene Estremera | 12 February 2010

(reprinted from UP FORUM)

In the first 15 years of its existence, UP Mindanao has developed with an emphasis on science and technology in its courses and research endeavors covering the fields of biology, biotechnology, food technology, applied mathematics, computer sciences and agribusiness economics. In its programs for communication arts, creative writing, architecture and anthropology, UP Mindanao has likewise focused on issues, characteristics and themes that are found in Mindanao. The graduate programs in management and urban and regional planning have attracted professionals and corporations who have influence in the region. These programs have produced young scientists and conservationists, professionals in the food and agribusiness, economic and information technology sectors, social reform advocates, print and broadcast journalists, teachers and professors, lawyers and medical doctors who practice within and outside Mindanao.

In the years ahead, UP Mindanao will continue on its mission to set academic standards and serve as a research university, a public service university and as a regional and global university.

In the area of setting academic standards, faculty members are constantly given opportunities to pursue higher educational degrees as well as workshops to increase teaching effectiveness. Accomplished practitioners in the fields of management, natural and social sciences and the humanities are recruited to make their expertise available to the academic programs as full-time or part-time members of the faculty.

As a research university, UP Mindanao and its faculty members are initiating and generating research projects in biotechnology and biodiversity, supply chain management, and Mindanao studies. Students in the natural and social sciences and the humanities take field trips that expose them to areas in Mindanao that are rich in biodiversity and culture.

Having been appointed as CHED Zonal Research Center for Region 11, UP Mindanao participated in organizing four Research Conferences in 2009. These Conferences covered the areas of social and health sciences, education management, agribusiness and development, biodiversity and environment. More than a hundred research papers were presented in the Conferences.

With the DOST-UP Mindanao Biotechnology Research Program on the sago palm, UP Mindanao is now the home to the state-of-the-art biotechnology facilities in Mindanao. Students in the natural sciences benefit from having new equipment available for their laboratory. More support is under way to realize the goal of creating a “redundant biotechnology facility” to replicate those in UP Los Baños. This was particularly underscored with the succession of destructive storms that have wrought heavy damage to the Luzon island. Mindanao has that unique meteorological advantage of not being in the path of typhoons commonly crossing the Philippine archipelago.

Other researches in the natural sciences focus on marine sciences and coastal resource management such as the farming of sea cucumber, plant propagation and pathology, indigenous food sources as the nipa palm, propagation of the pitcher plant, and the inventory of Mindanao biodiversity using geographical information systems.

UP Mindanao is a partner in the International Supply Chain Research Program of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research that studies the contribution of Mindanao to the agricultural food basket of the Philippines. Students benefit from having professors who have acquired lengthy experience in research in this field from the Philippines and abroad. Several public lectures have been held to benefit students, industry groups and NGOs.

As a global and regional university, UP Mindanao is part of the Re-Governing Markets Program, an international research program focusing on empowering small agricultural producers to participate in the new and dynamic retail markets. UP Mindanao presently serves as the country representative of the Philippines to this program. A number of publications have been generated by these research programs that have been made available for students and industry stakeholders.

For this purpose, UP Mindanao publishes the "Banwa", the academic journal of UP Mindanao. It is a peer-reviewed journal published bi-annually by UP-Mindanao under the auspices of the Office of Research which addresses relevant issues in the fields of the humanities, natural and applied sciences, social sciences, management and economics. The word "banwa" commonly means "community" or "territory", but in a broader sense means "the totality of the world; a space that encapsulates human-non-human-nature interlockings".

As a public service university, UP Mindanao is extending its assistance through its various consortia and extension services, its student cultural activities as well as through the UP alumni associations in the region.

Science students organize and take part in inter-school competitions and conferences at the regional, national and international levels. Communication arts students organize annual competitions that allow high school and college students in and around the region to hone their speaking skills as well as their facility in new media.

The management program extends its reach farther by offering short courses in management and supervisory methods. The anthropology program has focused on Mindanao studies through various fora and research on conflict resolution in Mindanao such as the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) and the recent Maguindanao massacre. Creative-writing students produce literary works as well as translate literary classics in the regional languages. The architecture program has consistently produced board passers, and has gained regional and national recognition by using Mindanao themes in student thesis competitions. The extension services are involved in the local government and regional committees on climate change and the environment and in piloting an apiculture industry project.

In addition, UP Mindanao promotes itself as a viable choice to high school students who wish to have a quality education without having to relocate to Luzon and the Visayas through annual UPCAT campaigns through out the region.

In the area of democratic access for disadvantaged students, scholarships and other affirmative action programs are being put in place to assist poor but deserving Muslims and other members of cultural communities to qualify for admission to the University.

In the area of networking, UP Mindanao has actively networked with other state colleges and universities and privately-owned higher educational institutions (HEI) in the region through membership in various consortia. UP Mindanao was instrumental in the creation of the Davao Colleges and Universities Network (DACUN) which is presently composed of ten HEIs with whom it shares library resources and research outputs. The DACUN member-schools have been the initial beneficiaries of the ZRC Research Conferences in 2009.

UP Mindanao is also a member of the Mindanao Studies Consortium Foundation Inc. (MSCFI) which is dedicated to the study of Mindanao social conflicts and their resolution. The MSC presently composed of twelve HEIs, a non-government organization (NGO) and the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCO).

UP Mindanao is also a member of the Regional Development Council-Economic Development Council Region 11 which has a total membership of thirty-four members from the government, private sector and local government units (LGU).

In the area of research sharing and dissemination, UP Mindanao is an active member of the Southern Mindanao Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (SMARRDEC), which is composed of five HEIs, two LGUs, eleven national government agencies (NGA) and one NGO.

In Barangay Mintal, which is the home barangay of UP Mindanao, and the neighboring Barangay Bago Oshiro, are found various government agriculture and science institutions. In this neighborhood is located the Philippine Science High School-Southern Mindanao Campus (PSHS-SMC), and the local offices of the Bureau of Plant Industry and the Philippine Coconut Authority, among other research stations. For this reason UP Mindanao founded the Mindanao Science and Technology Park Consortium (MSTPC), whose objectives are to market the combined facilities and capabilities of the neighborhood institutions. The MSTPC is composed of two HEIs, six NGAs, two local Barangays, two NGOs and the PSHS-SMC.

In the area of campus development, UP Mindanao’s medium-term development plans are for implementation of road networks, the construction of additional dormitories and student facilities, and the implementation of the Biotech Complex by phases. These are presently being pursued through congressional instrumentalities and national and local government support.

UP Mindanao continuously pushes for the passage of congressional initiatives such as House Bill 5946 and Senate Bill 3304 that propose funding for development of infrastructure such as buildings for its colleges, libraries and research centers.

UP Mindanao envisions itself to be a “Green University” that uses technologies that are low on consumption of fossil fuels and viable to the environment. In the planning of campus road and infrastructure, topography and geography will be incorporated in the designs.

To complement the infrastructure plans, items for faculty, administrative staff and REPS are diligently followed-up through the government agencies.

For its two land reservations in Davao City and Compostela Valley, UP Mindanao has reached out to prospective partners from industry for development projects, keeping in mind that academic-industry linkage are to support the teaching, research and extension functions of UP.

Being geographically closer to the rest of the Asia-Pacific Region, such as the Brunei-Indonesia Malaysia Philippines-East Asia Growth Triangle (BIMP-EAGA), UP Mindanao is strategically positioned to reach out and establish linkages in this direction.

Because of the unique socio-economic realities and potentials that Mindanao offers for Philippine development, UP Mindanao holds the most promise of growth. It carries the burden as well as the opportunities to test the other challenges of the new UP Charter. These include the challenges to “provide opportunities for training in responsible citizenship and the development of democratic values, institutions and practice, the commitment to national development and to serve the Filipino nation and their aspirations”.

2009: The Year That Was (a draft) Print PDF

Written by Rene Estremera | 10 February 2010

Highlights of 2009 UP Mindanao Annual Report

The year 2009 was another milestone year for UP Mindanao. Following the UP Centennial celebrations in 2008, UP Mindanao started the new UP century with modest milestone events that promised more to come, like planting seeds with the promise of a harvest.

CHED SAFE LOAN.

In January the Commission on Higher Education disbursed the amount of P1 Million to UP Mindanao for student loans. This was disbursed by CHED XI Regional Director Leonida Calagui on January 12, 2009 to VCAA Emma Ruth V. Bayogan in the presence of VCAd Miguel D. Soledad, OSA Director Evelina E. Ayson, Cashier Teresita V. Lagsub, and CHED's Asst. RD Edward Aquino and Education Supervisor Christopher Pulido.

Launching of the DOST-UP Mindanao Biotechnology Facility

DOST Secretary Estrella Alabastro and UP President Emerlinda Roman inaugurated the DOST-UPMin Biotech Facility on March 13, 2009. The Facility is composed of laboratories for the UP Mindanao Biotechnology Research Program, “Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Indigenous Bioresources in Mindanao”, that aims to harness the abundant and wild-growing Sago Palm in Mindanao for food and other high-value products, such as lactic acid, ethanol and bio-degradable plastics.

Laying of time-capsule at the Biotech Complex

DOST Secretary Estrella F. Alabastro and CHED Chairman Emmanuel Y. Angeles together with officials from the UP System and the regional academic and public sectors attended the laying of the time-capsule at the site of the Biotech Complex Module 1 Phase 1 at the at the College of Science and Mathematics. The building is a single-storey building of 200 square meters with an Enzyme Laboratory and a Genetic Engineering Laboratory. The facility cost is P3.5 Million, sourced from the balance of the Centennial Fund.

Forum on “the Next 100 Years”. UP Mindanao held a “Consultative Forum on the Roadmap of UP’s Next 100 Years” on April 17, 2009 with House of Representatives Speaker and 1st District (Davao City) Congressman Prospero Nograles as Keynote Speaker. Participants included Mindanao Business Council Chairman Vicente Lao and leaders from the City Council, media, industry, the clergy, national government agencies and alumni. The Forum provided input to the UP System-wide strategic planning held in Subic in April.

Student population reaches 1,000-mark. The student population finally reached 1,005 students at the 1st Semester of Academic Year 2009-2010 for the first time after maintaining an average student population of 900 for the past number of years.

Centennial Closing Ceremony and Flag-raising for the New Century

UP Mindanao students, faculty, administrators and other UP alumni joined the whole UP System in the simultaneous flag-raising held on June 18 at 8:00 A.M. This was followed by a Centennial Closing Program with Presidential Assistant for Special Projects Margarita Dizon Marfori as Guest Speaker. An exhibit featuring events, products, services and accomplishments was set up at the Atrium of the Administration Building. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was also held to open the new CSM Covered Walk.

House Bill 5946 and Senate Bill 3304

On June 18, 2009 the Davao local newspapers announced that House of Representatives Speaker Prospero Nograles (1st District-Davao City) and Deputy Speaker Simeon Datumanong filed House Bill 5946. Soon after, Senate Majority Floor Leader Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri filed Senate Bill 3304 to extend financial support to UP Mindanao’s Medium-Term Development Plan for 2009 to 2012 that focuses on infrastructure development. In the proposed bills, the amount will be included in the current year's national budget, and succeeding Annual General Appropriations Act.

These include:
Fiscal Year 2009
P50 million -School of Management Corporate Building
P50 million -students' dormitory
P50 million -Concreting and landscaping of the University Avenue
P150 million -Mindanao Loop and Oblation Plaza
P100 million -UP Mindanao Main Library
Fiscal Year 2010
P150 million -Biotech facility for indigenous food resources
P150 million -College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building
Fiscal Year 2011
P55 million -Center for the Advancement of Research in Mindanao
P50 million -Center for Continuing Education
P250 million -UP Mindanao Eco-habitat
Fiscal Year 2012
P250 million -UP Mindanao Eco-habitat Phase 2

 

Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri visits UP Mindanao.

On December 5, 2009, Senator Zubiri paid a visit to the UP Mindanao campus in Mintal, Davao City and met with students and University officials. The Senator also spoke at the UP Alumni Association of Davao’s “Parangal Sa Alumnay” (above). During his visit the Senator pledged to adopt UP Mindanao as the UP campus in most need of support.

Concreting of Kanluran Road. In October 2009 the Dept. of Budget and Management issued the Sub-Special Allocation Release Order amounting to P5 Million for the concreting of Kanluran Road leading to the College of Science and Mathematics. The UP System gave a counterpart fund amounting to P10 Million thereby realizing the implementation of the long-awaited road improvement project.

UP Mindanao Infirmary. The Beta Sigma Fraternity alumni in February 2009 offered to construct the UP Mindanao Infirmary through the Federation of Beta Sigma Fraternity Alumni of the North America Chapters and the Betans Spirit Foundation. A soft-launch was held in October and the Memorandum of Agreement was signed in December.

The UP Mindanao Infirmary was opened on February 26, 2010 in the presence of UP President Emerlinda Roman and Beta Sigma alumni, among others.

14th Anniversary Recognition Day

High achieving and loyal staff and faculty members were honored by the UP Mindanao administration during its Recognition Day program on the occasion of its 14th Founding Anniversary celebration in February. Plaques of Recognition were given to those who contributed ten years of service to UP Mindanao. These included Dr. Annabelle U. Novero (Asst. Prof.), Prof. Joseph E. Acosta (Asst. Prof.), Merlyn P. Castañeros (Librarian), Sharon Jean A. Año (Student Records Evaluator), Florence F. Aquiatan (Student Records Evaluator), Edgar N. Denosta (Administrative Aide),  Mary Christie A. Estocado (Student Records Evaluator), Henry B. Fernandez (Administrative Aide), Gil B. Flauta (Administrative Aide), Analiza S. Fulvadora (Dormitory Manager), Teresita V. Lagsub (Administrative Officer), Ildefonso Y. Magpusao Jr. (Administrative Aide), Henry A. Sultan (Administrative Aide) and Marievette V. Villegas (Executive Assistant).

Gawad Chanselor Awards were given to staff and faculty members for the following categories: “Pinakamahusay na Guro (Junior Faculty)” - Prof. Aurelia Luzviminda V. Gomez, Assistant Professor, School of Management; “Pinakamahusay na Guro (Senior Faculty)” - Dr. Larry N. Digal, Associate Professor, School of Management; “Pinakamahusay na REPS (Research, Extension and Professional Services)” - Mr. Luis Antonio T. Hualda, University Research Associate I, School of Management; Pinakamahusay na Empleyadong Administratibo (Junior Professional) - Mr. Sabas A. Ociones Jr., Administrative Aide I, Supply and Property Management Office; Pinakamahusay na Empleyadong Administratibo (Senior Professional) - Ms. Helsa L. Bullicer, Student Records Evaluator I, Office of the University Registrar; and Pinakamahusay na Empleyadong Administratibo (Supervisor) - Ms. Cynthia dR. Buquia, Registrar II, Office of the University Registrar.

12th Commencement Exercises

DOST Secretary Estrella F. Alabastro was Guest Speaker during the 12th Commencement Exercises held on April 22, 2009. Dubbed as “The Last of the Centennial Graduates”, Class of 2009 was composed of 172 students led by 13 students graduating cum laude. Secretary Alabastro, in her message to the graduates, urged them “to find their own path to fulfillment”. She assured them, “You can be whatever you want to be through determination, hard work, the ability to undergo continuous learning, and through the tools that this institution has armed you with”.

 

INSTRUCTION, RESEARCH AND EXTENSION

The CHED Zonal Research Center-Region 11, presently assigned to UP Mindanao, conducted the 2009 Research Conference Series 1-4 under Office of Research Director and concurrent ZRC-11 Director, Prof. Larry N. Digal. The four-part Conference was organized along the themes of Social and Health Sciences, Education Management, Agribusiness and Development, and Biodiversity and Environment. It was organized in partnership with the Davao Colleges and Universities Network (DACUN), of which UP Mindanao is a founding member. The Conference participants came from leading higher education institutions in Davao City and Southern Mindanao.

2009 Research Conference Series 1: Social and Health Sciences

The 2009 Research Conference Series 1 was held on August 11, 2009 with Davao Doctors’ College, a DACUN member-school, as the Lead Institution. Speakers in the plenary session were PCHRD Region 11 Chair Dr. Warlito C. Vicente (left) and UP Mindanao’s Dr. Antonio G. Moran. Research presentations were made by Professors Myfel Joseph D. Paluga, Ma. Arve Bañez, Raymond R. Pavo, Valeriano A. Clamonte Jr., Reine Kathryn T. Rala, Jessie G. Varquez Jr., Skilty Labastilla, and Raffy Jones G. Sanchez of the UP Mindanao Department of Social Sciences.

2009 Research Conference Series 2: Education Management

The University of Mindanao (UM), a DACUN member-school, was the host and Lead Institution of Series 2 on August 28, 2009. Speakers were led by UM President Guillermo P. Torres Jr. and CHED-11 Asst. Regional Director Maricar Casquejo. UP Mindanao School of Management Professor Miguel D. Soledad (left, below) presented “The Case Method as a Tool for Training Public Administrators in Human Behavior in Organizations” in the Conference.

2009 Research Conference Series 3: Agribusiness and Development

UP Mindanao was Lead Institution and host of Series 3 on September 9, 2009. DA Director Francisco A. Ramos III (left) spoke on “The Role of Agribusiness in National and Mindanao Development” and Dr. Larry N. Digal (next page, right) gave a Professorial Chair Lecture on “Global Context Inclusive Agribusiness Models: Emerging Research Agenda”. Dr. Emma Ruth V. Bayogan (next page, left) gave a Professorial Chair Lecture on “Tropical Fruit Quality Retention and Shelf Life Improvement Using 1-Mehtykcyclopopene”. Papers were presented by Marilou O. Montiflor, Fritzie Ivy D. Jara, Floro Israel, Jerick Axalan and Lorena Loma.

2009 Research Conference Series 4: Biodiversity and Environment

The Lead Institutions for Series 4 were the Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST) and DOST-PCAMRD. It was hosted by the UP Mindanao School of Management on October 20, 2009. Professorial Chair Lectures were given by Dr. Gilda C. Rivero (below) on “Phytoextraction of Cadmium by Eichhornia crassipes Mart. Solms” and Dr. Reynaldo G. Abad (next page, right) on “Phytophthora: The Prevalence Goes On”.

Book launch of “Changing Agrifood Markets in Southeast Asia: Impacts on Small-Scale Producers”

A book launch of “Changing Agrifood Markets in Southeast Asia: Impacts on Small-Scale Producers” was held on February 20, 2009. The book is based on the work of the Re-Governing Markets Programme, where UP Mindanao School of Management (SOM) serves as the Regional Coordinator for Southeast Asia. Dr. Larry Digal is one of the editors of the book, while Dean Sylvia Concepcion, Dr. Digal and Mr. Luis Antonio Hualda are authors of individual chapters.

A Research Forum was held on February 19, 2009 as part of the 14th Anniversary. The Forum featured research presentations by:

Dr. S.B. Concepcion, “Emerging Vegetable Value Chains: Opportunities for Small-Holder Farmers”
Prof. A.L.V. Gomez, “The Human Context of the Eastern Mindanao Biodiversity Corridor”
Dr. G.J. Quintero, “Indigenous Games and the Stories They Tell: A Collection from Three Lumad Communities in Davao”
Dr. R.G. Abad, “The Intriguing World of the Sago Palm Weevils” (left photo)
Dr. E.R.V. Bayogan, “Improving the Shelf-Life of Papaya, Durian and Mangosteen”
Prof. M.J. Paluga, “Recent Anthropological Approaches in Reconstructing the Precolonial Banwa”
Dr. E.T. Rasco served as Reactor.

A “Nipa Symposium” was held in June 5 in cooperation with member-schools of the Davao Colleges and Universities Network (DACUN) and hosted by Brokenshire College. This was the presentation of a number of research proposals that were created in a workshop and field study. The numerous research proposals covered a broad range of areas from nipa and other indigenous resources, as well as product development and marketing.

On-Line Forum on Philippine Marine Science

UP Mindanao served as the Mindanao venue for the UP Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) On-Line Forum on Philippine Marine Science on January 26, 2009. The Forum was attended by marine scientists from higher educational institutions in the region

LINKAGE WITH FOREIGN UNIVERSITY - Adjunct Professors Dr. Peter Batt and Dr. Roy Murray-Prior from Curtin University of Technology (Aus.) held two public lectures on agri-business supply chains and collaborative marketing groups in January 15 and July 22 at the School of Management. In attendance during these events were BS Agribusiness Economics students and industry practitioners, among others.

Dr. Virginia P. Obsioma talked on “Safety of Meat on Display” together with Dr. Peter Batt who talked on “Food Safety Issues in Southeast Asia” on September 25 at Lorenzo Hall. It was organized by the School of Management in cooperation with HORT 2007/066/04 research project and the Research, Extension and Professional Staff Association-UP Mindanao.

UP Mindanao signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with project partners for the agricultural research project, “Analysis of Selected Value Chains in Southern Philippines”. The project is part of Component 4 (HORT 2007/066/04) of the mega-project, “Enhanced Profitability of Selected Vegetable Value Chains in the Southern Philippines and Australia” which is funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).

Professor Niceto S. Poblador, former UP Mindanao School of Management Associate Dean, visited Davao City to hold his public lecture “Collaborative Entrepreneurship: A Strategy for Continuous Innovation” on July 26, 2009.

UPMin faculty member Prof. Isidoro R. Malaque III, Mr. Luis Antonio T. Hualda and alumni Dominador H. Gualberto II passed the Environmental Planner Licensure Examination held in June 2009.

DOST BALIK-SCIENTIST LECTURE - Prof. Ben de Lumen of University of California-Berkeley held a public lecture on “Bio-Entrepreneurship in Academia” on April 20, 2009 that was attended by faculty members from higher educational institutions in the region.

New York-based film-makers Iben Triño-Molenkamp and Benjamin Ray Foley from the Organization for Visual Progression (OVP) conducted a video workshop for field anthropology from April 27 to May 10 for BS Anthropology students, NGO workers and students from other schools.

TRIPLE PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS - Professor Dr. Eufemio T. Rasco Jr. was conferred a Distinguished Alumni Award for Science and Technology by the UP Alumni Association on June 20, 2009. He was also conferred the title of Academician by the National Academy of Science and Technology in 2009. Dr. Rasco was also appointed UP Scientist 1 under the 2009 UP Scientific Productivity Award (SPA) on August 11, 2009.

Prof. Ricardo M. de Ungria was appointed UP Artist 1 for 2009-2011 by the UP Board of Regents on December 18, 2009 under the newly-implemented Artist Productivity Program. Prof. de Ungria is presently the only UP Artist from UP Mindanao.

Dr. Dulce M. Flores was among the awardees for the biotechnology sector in the “Search for 2008 Outstanding Research and Development in Advanced Science and Technology”, for her research paper, “The Paradox of a Super Bug: Enterococcus faecium DMF 78” during ceremonies held on December 18, 2008.

Dr. Eufemio T. Rasco Jr. and Mr. Richie Eve C. Ragas was awarded 1st Place for the scientific poster “Broad-leaved Weed Density and Diversity Under Contrasting Weed Management on Sloping Ground in a Banana Plantation in Mindanao” during the National Research Council of the Philippines-Mindanao meeting in February 2009 in Iligan City.

FACULTY / STAFF SCHOLARSHIPS - Faculty members and staff were selected as Ford Foundation Fellows for their prospective fields of advanced study. They are:
Instructor Marie Angelique A. Vernaiz (Dept. of Bio. Sci. and Envir. Stud.)- To take up M.S. in Microbiology
Instructor Restituto T. Tocmo (Dept. of Food Science and Chem.) - To take up M.S. in Food Science
Instructor May Ann E. Mata (Dept. of Math, Physics and Comp. Sci.) - To take up M.S. in Applied Math
Researcher Richie Eve G. Ragas- to take up M.S. in Sustainable Agriculture
Instructor Vladimer B. Kobayashi, Erasmus scholar - for MS Data Mining and Knowledge Management  

IN MEMORIAM. Prof. Severo "Toto" T. Bastian Jr., Ph.D. (DBSES) died of infection in August 16, 2009. His demise was deeply mourned by friends and colleagues and the University.

COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

The Dept. of Social Sciences organized the Maguindanao Massacre Forum on December 3, 2009 at Lorenzo Hall. The keynote speaker was Ms. Zaynab Ampatuan, Chairperson of the Suara Bangsamoro organization. The speakers were DSS Chairman Prof. Paluga, BAA student Rosnifa Dimakuta of UPMin Associaiton of Muslim Students, lecturer Fr. Emmanual Nabayra, Prof. Raymundo Pavo, Prof. Antonio G. Moran, and Prof. Arve Banez.

National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera visited UP Mindanao and conducted a talk on “Ang Sining ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining” on October 1, 2009. It was held at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Audio-Visual Room. Present in the audience were Mrs. Cynthia Lumbera, Chancellor Rivero, Dean Dans-Lee, UP Diliman Professor Vim Nadera and LCB Performing Arts Center Director Lu Chin Bon.

Professor Jhoanna Lynn B. Cruz-Daliling held her book launch of “Women Loving”, a collection of short stories and a play, at National Book Store, SM City Davao on December 12, 2009 with Dr. Isagani R. Cruz as guest of honor.

Professor Teody Boylie R. Perez held his 9th solo art exhibit titled, "Perez Presents: Windows to the Soul" at Museo Dabawenyo on Sept. 21-Oct. 23. 2009. His paintings portrayed ordinary people with a focus on the expressions of their eyes.

Kwentong Sine. Stage director and UP Professor Behn Cervantes visited UP Mindanao on July 20, 2009 which coincided with the visit of Thai award-winning scriptwriter Prabda Yoon. Prof. Cervantes talked about the film-maker Lino Brocka and their time in UP. Mr. Yoon talked about his film, “Last Life in the Universe”.

UNIVERSITY EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

3rd Phil-BIST Book Fair. The Davao Colleges and Universities Network (DACUN), of which UP Mindanao is a founding member, held the 3rd Phil-BIST (Philippines–Book, Information Science and Technology) Conference and Fair from August 11-14, 2009. It was hosted this year by Brokenshire College. Keynote Speaker was National Book Development Board Chairman Dennis Gonzales. The Fair showcased book publishers with support from National Commission on Culture and the Arts, Cisco Systems Inc., CHED Region XI and Phil. Librarians Association Inc.

A two-day-training on “Use of Open-Source Office Suite” for Local Government Units in Region XI was held on July 30-31, 2009 by the Office of Extension and Community Services and the Information Technology Office. Participants were from LGUs and Barangays in Davao City and outlying provinces.

UP Mindanao and DOST Region XI hosted the book-launch of “Sensory Quality Measurement: Statistical Analysis of Human Responses” (M.M. Gatchalian, G.D. Brannan) on November 23, 2009. A Basic Sensory Evaluation Methods Seminar-workshop was also held at School of Management on November 24-26, 2009.

UP Mindanao hosted a tree-planting activity in August 29, 2009, on the theme of, “UP Mindanao: The Green University Town” in partnership with the 11th Regional Community Defense Group (11th RCDG) under Col. Florante Isles. The participants were composed of ROTC students from Univ. of Southeastern Philippines, Univ. of the Immaculate Conception, Univ. of Mindanao and Holy Cross of Calinan, members of the UP Los Baños Alumni Association of Davao and students and staff from UP Mindanao.

Kadayawan Floral Parade. UP Mindanao participated in the Kadayawan Floral Parade, Davao City’s famous festival for the first time in August 23, 2009 in the small category. Students worked to create a giant basket with real fruits and flowers installed in a “kariton” which they pulled through the parade route.

UP-Mindanao’s ZRC -11 also participated in organizing the CHED National Conference on Research in Higher Education held in Davao City on November 12–13, 2009 with the theme “Empowering HEIs in Research for Global Competitiveness”.

ZRC-11 conducted the Research Proposal Preparation Workshop on December 14-15, 2009 with Dr. Calixto Protacio of UP Los Baños as resource person. It was attended by researchers from the Davao Colleges and Universities Network (DACUN) member-schools and other higher educational institutions.

A landmark and sign post marking the UP Mindanao Marilog-Arakan Land Reservation was installed in the Bukidnon-Davao Highway. The 4,100-hectare Land Reservation passes through both Marilog District, Davao City and Arakan, South Cotabato. UP Mindanao also has the Laak-Veruela Land Reservation with 2,800 hectares located in Laak, Compostela Valley and Veruela, Agusan del Sur.

STUDENT AFFAIRS

EU Whiz Grand Champions- Students from UP Mindanao emerged as National Grand Champions of the EU Whiz 2009 inter-collegiate quiz held on June 18, 2009 at SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City. The team was composed of Marlon John Danlay, Aaron James Jalalon and Kelly Marie Conlon with Mr. John Bengan (Coach). Polytechnic University of the Phils. (Manila) and University of the Visayas (Cebu) won 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. The Grand Prize for the team included a European tour.

BS Architecture graduate Glory Rose Dy won in the “Best in Research” category in the Red Point National Best Thesis Award for Architecture held in Ayala Museum on June 29, 2009 for her thesis entitled “Contextualizing Mindanao Indigenous Dance and Rituals in a Mindanao Performing Arts Complex”. Ms. Dy’s thesis adviser was Prof. Jean Marie V. Juanga, Coordinator of the BS Architecture program. The competition was sponsored by CIRDIA Inc.

Glory Rose Dy and Roxanne Urbiztondo with her own thesis entitled “Establishing Sustainable Ecotourism Floating Village in the Landscape of Agusan Marsh Houses” were among the Top Ten of the Red Point Awards. The Top Ten entries were chosen by the PRC Board of Architecture.

BS Agribusiness Economics students Jefferson Nuñeza and Zoe Manguilimotan were selected as participants to the American Chamber of Commerce’s 2009 Business Orientation Program for Aspiring Leaders held on April 18-25, 2009.

Six BS Architecture graduates passed the Architecture Board Exams held in June 2009 maintaining the 100% passing mark of UPMin Architecture graduates in the Board Exams.

BS Food Technology freshman Kriza Faye A. Calumba was Regional Champion in the 18th Philippine Statistics Quiz Regional Elimination held November 12, 2009. Renaire Odarve (1BSCS) won 2nd Place, Serah Rose dela Cruz (1BSAM) won 4th Place. Instructor Ms. Metche Anne Casinillo (Dept. of Math, Physics and Computer Science) was Coach.

Five BS Computer Science students passed the Philippine IT Standards Examination for Fundamental Engineers held on April 26 and October 18, 2009.

 

Aboitiz 4th Future Leaders Business Summit was attended by BA Communication Arts students Hazel Jade Gamas and Sonny Paul Cirunay.

BA English (Creative Writing) student Javin Jet Tevar (seated, left) won 3rd Place in the 1st NCCA-Davao Writers Guild Fiction-Writing Contest in Bisaya in October 2009 for his short story “Mga Dalan sa Downtown”. There were a total of 21 entries from Davao and as far as Cagayan de Oro and Bukidnon.

 

BS Biology student Marian L. Salamanes attended the international conference, “Understanding the Impact of Global Climate Change on Biodiversity and Tropical Rainforests” held in Brunei, Darussalam in December 2009.

BS Food Technology students won 2nd Place in the 1st Philippine Association of Food Technologists (PAFT) National Food Bowl Quiz held on June 27, 2009 in Taguig City. The UP Visayas and UP Diliman teams won 1st and 3rd Place, respectively.

BS Food Technology graduates Melvin S. Pasaporte and Bryan Gerard L. Gonzales won 1st Place and 2nd Place, respectively, in the Best Undergraduate Research Paper Category during the 48th Annual Convention of the Philippine Association of Food Technologists on September 21-23 in Heritage Hotel, Pasay City. Mr. Pasaporte’s paper was “Lutein Content of Selected Local Fruits and Vegetables” while Mr. Gonzales’ paper was “Developing a Fermented Milk Beverage with Angiotensin-I Converting Enzyme Inhibitory Activity”.

BS Food Technology freshman Mary Pauline Fornea won five (5) gold medals in swimming events and was awarded “Top Athlete” in the Davao City Eliminations for the CHED Regional Meet in December 2009. She went on to win an additional seven (7) gold medals in the Regional Meet in January 2010.

BS Computer Science team composed of students Chieckerzon Molina, Kevin Bernard San Gaspar, Keno Cabazares and Instructor Riannel Tecson (Coach) was the Champion in a field of 15 schools in the Annual Computer Programming Competition held February 21, 2009. In the I.T. Quiz, UP Mindanao team of BSCS students Ian Plaza, Philip Batingana Jr. with Instructor Glenn Guden (Coach) was 2nd second-place winner. The event was organized by the Council of Deans in I.T. Education – Region XI

BA Communication Arts student Mishael Jacob Pueblas was awarded the Grand Prize in the Art Petron 2009 Painting and Photography Competition for his photo titled, “Nagmula Sa Kabukiran, Ngayo'y Nasa Bayan” in August. Another entry by Mr. Pueblas titled, “Ginoong Palengke”, was awarded a Consolation Prize. Mr. Pueblas' entries bested a field of around 800 entries judged by a panel of judges that included National Artist Ben Cab. Another photo by Mr. Pueblas was selected for display in the UNDP website.

Ian Julius de Castro (4 BA Anthropology) won the Best Student Paper Award for “Elites on the Margins: A Study of Power in Two Low-Income Communities in Davao City” during the 31st Ugnayang Pang-aghamtao (UGAT) National Conference held October 22-24, 2009 in Cagayan de Oro City.

 

BS Architecture students Dan Jezreel Orendain won 1st Runner-Up and Rexan Ranier Cabangal received a Consolation Prize in the Tamugan Powerhouse Inter-School Design Contest sponsored by Hedcor.

Exegesis Jedidiah N. Ebarle (3BSAbE) was a delegate to the Japan-ASEAN Student Conference held November 13-19, 2009 at Tokyo and Sendai, Japan. It was organized and sponsored by the Japan-East Asia Network for Exchange Students and Youths (JENESYS).

The opening of University Student Council House was held on June 22, 2009 with USC Chair Rosell Susan Serrano, Chancellor Rivero, students and staff.

14TH ANNIVERSARY

During the 14th Anniversary celebration of UP Mindanao, various events were held that brought together students, professionals and the community from the region and abroad.

The UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble, the resident company, performed their annual dance concert, this year titled, "UGAT", on February 24, 2009 at the UP Mindanao Atrium.

Beta Sigma Fraternity alumni from the Philippines and the United States held the Tito de Santos Medical and Dental Mission in UP Mindanao during UPMin’s 14th Anniversary on February 20, 2009. This resulted in the Fraternity’s decision to construct the UP Mindanao Infirmary later in the year.

The Canadian Embassy selected UP Mindanao to host its annual Macluhan Lecture Forum that brought journalists of national stature to talk to communication arts students from leading higher education institutions in the region.

Annual student-organized events such as the Rotaract’s inter-school oratorical contest, ‘Pagpamatbat”, and the Communicators Guild’s extemporaneous-speaking contest “Speak-UP!” were expanded in 2009 to include schools from satellite cities in the region.

ALUMNI AFFAIRS

Parangal sa Alumnay. The UP Alumni Association of Davao (UPAAD) celebrated its 60th Anniversary on December 5, 2009 with Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri as Guest Speaker. Some 175 alumni from Davao City and throughout the Region attended. The UPAAD also held “U.P. Clean and Green: An Environmental Lecture-Forum on Solid Waste Management” (below, left) for local barangays on November 6, 2009.

 

Prepared by:

 

Rene A. Estremera

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