The UP Diliman (UPD) College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD) opened its college week on Feb. 26 with a double celebration.
The three-hour ceremony celebrated the 35th year of the Department of Women and Development Studies (DWDS) and the 15th year of the Doctor of Social Development (DSD) program.
The opening featured live panel discussions and video messages offering retrospectives and perspectives on the history of the DWDS and the DSD.
The panel discussion on the DWDS featured Amaryllis T. Torres, PhD, and Rosalinda P. Ofreneo, PhD, both professors emeriti at the CSWCD; DWDS Chair Sabrina Laya Gacad, Teresita Barrameda, DSD, a professor at the DWDS; and lawyer Twyla Rubin, officer-in-charge of the Gender Equality Women’s Human Rights Center of the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines.
The college week, with the theme Alab ng Puso, also paid tribute to the life and work of former Department of Community Development chair, Maureen Castillo Pagaduan. Pagaduan was one of the pioneers of the DWDS. Receiving the tribute in her honor was her husband, journalist Jun Bandayrel. The segment also featured a video message from Nilan Yu, PhD, program director of the Postgraduate Social Work Programs of the University of South Australia Justice and Society. Yu was the first DSD director.
Meanwhile, UPD Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II wished the college more success and for more meaningful endeavors. The college also launched the CSWCD Logo Design Contest, a three-month design competition for the next official college logo. According to the CSWCD, “it is open to all the CSWCD and UP students, alumni, and partner organizations.” It awards a cash prize of P10,000.