The UP Diliman (UPD) Asian Institute of Tourism (AIT) recently launched the twin projects Balik Yapak sa Panahon ng Paglipat (Balik Yapak) and Magpahalaga: Appreciating UP Diliman’s History and Culture Through QR Codes (Magpahalaga).

Balik Yapak is a walking tour featuring the six buildings that are considered pioneer buildings at UPD: Benitez Hall, Gonzalez Hall, Malcolm Hall, Melchor Hall, Palma Hall, and Quezon Hall. On the other hand, Magpahalaga is a project about installing signs with quick response codes (QR codes) in front of the buildings around the Academic Oval.

Through the QR code project, UPD visitors can do a self-guided tour by using the QR code scanners on their smartphones. The QR code directs visitors to the Balik Yapak Facebook page managed by the AIT. The page contains information about the building such as name of the architect, architectural design, the year of the building’s construction, building occupants, origin of the building’s name, and other relevant information.

According to Maria Carmela M. Ibañez, an assistant professor at the AIT and Magpahalaga project leader, the institute has been organizing walking tours since 2019, but Magpahalaga is a new project.

“Maraming bumibisita sa UP, pero hindi nila alam ang kuwento sa likod ng mga gusali at mga artwork. Maging ang mga kawani ay limitado ang kaalaman tungkol sa UP,” Ibañez said.

Only five of the six pioneer buildings were assigned QR codes before the launch since Gonzalez Hall is currently undergoing renovations. Ibañez, however, said the project team aims to install QR codes in front of all the buildings around the Academic Oval before the opening of classes this school year.

Meanwhile, UPD Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II thanked the AIT for initiating and promoting the project.

“Masarap sa pakiramdam ang ganitong proyekto na very specific and concrete. Ang next step natin ay mai-promote itong proyekto para mas marami pa ang makaalam at ma-appreciate itong ating campus,” Vistan said.

Each Magpahalaga sign is made of acrylic and attached to a metal pole. Three QR codes are placed in each sign: one in English text, one in Filipino text, and one containing an audio recording, which will eventually become an audiovisual presentation.

From the project brief, the inspiration of the QR stand design is “the pedestal of roughhewn rocks similar to the base where the Oblation stands. The poles are covered in printed decals bearing the Diliman fern, a native species of climbing fern that used to be abundant in the area and from where the campus was named after. The brown color of the pole is designed so as to blend with the surrounding area.”

Held on July 30 as part of the UPD Arts and Culture Festival 2024: Pamamalagi at Pamamahagi, the launch of the twin project was also attended by Director Monica Fides Amada W. Santos of the UPD Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts, AIT Dean Giovanni Francis A. Legaspi, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Dean Ruth R. Lusterio-Rico, and representatives from the Quezon City Tourism Department.