written by KC Ann Neljane Abella | January 30, 2026
January 2026 Feature
Every institution is shaped not only by its policies and programs, but by the people who quietly choose to stay, especially when staying is challenging.
For UP Mindanao, one of those people is Ma’am Lynda ‘Yda’ Buenaobra, a pioneer employee whose journey mirrors the University’s own growth: uncertain beginnings, challenging transitions, hard-won systems, and an enduring commitment to service.
When UP Mindanao was still an idea on paper, Ma’am Yda was already part of the UP System. She began her career at UP Manila, first as a clerk typist at the College of Pharmacy, and later as a Budget Officer II at the Budget Office.
Yet even then, her heart was already set on coming home. “Dream ko talaga bumalik sa Davao,” she shared. She had always hoped that one day, UP would take root in Mindanao and that she would be part of it.
That opportunity came in the mid-1990s, just as UP Mindanao was opening its doors. Fresh from starting a family, she returned to work in February 1996 and accepted the challenge of becoming UP Mindanao’s Budget Officer, at a time when there were no permanent items, no established systems, and road map at its infancy. “Lahat kami nag-start NGS,” she recalled. What they had instead was a pioneering spirit and a deep sense of shared purpose.
Those early years were defined by closeness and grit. The administration worked out of Ladislawa, sharing cramped spaces and responsibilities that often spilled into weekends. Under the University’s first leadership, work did not stop at office hours. Procurement runs happened on Saturdays, planning sessions on Sundays. “Parang isang pamilya kami,” she said, a family learning how to build a university from the ground up.
As UP Mindanao grew, so did the challenges. Shifts in leadership, limited support, and changing national priorities tested the institution and its people.
For Ma’am Yda, being Budget Officer meant standing at the center of challenging decisions, managing scarce resources while navigating competing expectations. These were not always harmonious times, and she openly acknowledges that her journey included moments of professional struggle, reassignment, and deep personal doubt.
She continued to serve wherever the University needed her. From Budget, she was reassigned to the College of Science and Mathematics where she was tasked with setting up the administrative and finance support systems of the DOST Funded Biotechnology Program. During this time, she became active in the Union and was eventually elected as President.
As President of the UP Workers Union, she became a strong voice for fairness, proper staffing, and the correction of long-standing position mismatches. Many of these efforts , she noted, involved difficult but necessary battles.
She later joined the Office of the Chancellor where she was tasked to draft the proposal for the creation of UP Mindanao Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO), establish systems, and identify technologies for commercialization. Under her leadership, TTBDO grew from a fledgling office into a functioning unit, opening doors for innovation, training, and even international exposure.
“Doon ako nag-grow. Naging inventor ako, naging scientist ako.”
Yet even after finding her stride in TTBDO, she answered another call, this time to Human Resource Development Office
For Ma’am Yda, HR was not just another assignment. It was a challenge for non-teaching personnel to handle. “HR is the lifeline, the bloodline, the heart of the organization,” she emphasized.
Having seen the University from multiple vantage points, budget, administration, unions, and innovation, she understood how deeply people’s lives are shaped by HR decisions. “You can make or break a person’s future if you don’t handle it right,” she said.
As HR Chief, her leadership is deeply personal. Handling sensitive and high-stakes responsibilities, she chose to lead through trust, accountability, and care. “Pag magkamali kayo, sabihin niyo sa akin,” she tells her staff.
Outside the office, she bears the responsibility; inside, they learn together. For her, leadership is not about rank, but about relationships.
“Don’t burn bridges. At the end of the day, work is work. You work to live, you don’t live to work.”
Now nearing three decades of service, Ma’am Yda reflects on her career not in terms of titles or achievements, but gratitude.
Being part of UP Mindanao’s founding generation, witnessing its evolution, and helping shape its systems, these, to her, are already blessings.
“Work is a blessing. Pag gising mo sa umaga, may trabaho ka pang pupuntahan.”
To younger employees just starting their journey in the University, her advice is both practical and deeply felt: treat UP not just as a workplace, but as a learning ground. “Consider it training that you are paid for,” she said. Love your work, choose excellence, and whatever role you are given, own it fully.”
Indeed, Ma’am Yda’s story is a testament to what it means to stay, not because it is easy, but because the work matters.
Behind UP Mindanao’s systems, policies, and progress are people like her: pioneers who endured uncertainty, chose integrity, and quietly helped build the University’s heart from within.
—