After typhoon Yolanda in 2009, the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 and the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011, people became more conscious of the need for disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM). Recognizing how destructive natural phenomena can be, 10 academic units at UP Diliman (UPD) organized the conference “Disaster and Disciplines” on Nov. 18 at the GT-Toyota Asian Center Auditorium. Phenomenon vs. disaster. “A typhoon is a weather phenomenon, not a disaster,” clarified Dr. Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay at the opening program of the conference….

October 4, 2016 — The Journalism Department of the College of Mass Communication, University of the Philippines has extended its call for fellows to the 20th Graciano Lopez Jaena Community Journalism Workshop. The new deadline for submission of applications is on Oct. 30, 2016. The Workshop has also been moved to November 27 to December 2, 2016. Full fellowships, which cover travel, food and accommodation expenses, are available to practicing community journalists. With the theme “Science Journalism: Contextualizing Science Reporting for Philippine Communities,” the workshop will enrich the fellows’ appreciation of the various areas of the science beat and will introduce them to new tools and techniques of science…

(SEPT. 24)—The University Computer Center (UCC), the office that connects UP Diliman to the World Wide Web celebrated its 50th anniversary last Sept. 15 at the Executive House. The UCC was established on Sept. 15, 1966—19 years before UP Diliman was formally established—to provide high-speed computer services for the use of the University faculty, administration and studentry in academic research, administration and instruction. It became operational in April 1968 with Prof. José Maria de Castro as its first director. The Center, now headed by Dr. Manuel C. Ramos, currently has 17 employees divided…

They say necessity is the mother of invention. In the case of popular global positioning system (GPS)-based navigation app Waze, frustration and a gift were the seeds that drove its creators to find a better way to navigate the busy streets of Tel Aviv, Israel. Dror Cohen, Ads Product Manager and one of the original developers of Waze, described the popular app’s beginnings in a teleconference held at the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (EEEI) Auditorium on Jul. 19. The conference is part of a partnership between the EEEI, the Ateneo Graduate School of Business and the Embassy of Israel in…

The latest issues of UP Diliman’s (UPD) three refereed journals “Humanities Diliman” (Vol. 13 No. 2), “Science Diliman” (Vol. 28 No. 1) and “Social Science Diliman” (Vol. 12 No. 1) are now online. Edited by Dr. Reuben Ramas Cañete, “Humanities Diliman” has six articles: “Ang Talaban ng Pangingibabaw at Pagtutol sa Pangingibabaw sa Manga Tagobilin sa Manga Dalaga ni Antonio Maria Claret (Dominance and Defiance in Antonio Maria Claret’s Manga Tagobilin sa Manga Dalaga) by Pauline Mari Hernando; “Kuwentong Buhay ng Isang Pambansa-Demokratikong Rebolusyonaryong Bakla sa Rehiyon ng Katimugang Mindanao (A Life Story of a Gay National-Democratic Revolutionary in Southern…

Pouring outlay into research and development (R&D) should be a sound investment for economic growth. After all, scientific knowledge, when discovered and applied successfully, boosts labor productivity, creates wealth and enhances quality of life. The Philippines followed this premise by increasing budget allocation in the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) by 115.11 percent from 2009 to 2014. But why is the Philippines still dismally behind Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita? Merely increasing budget for R&D, says Caesar Saloma, is…

August 15, 2016 — The Journalism Department of the College of Mass Communication, University of the Philippines, is once again calling for applicants for its flagship Graciano Lopez Jaena Community Journalism Workshop. The 20th workshop will be held from November 6 to 11, 2016 at the UP College of Mass Communication, Diliman, Quezon City, with the theme, “Science Journalism: Contextualizing Science Reporting for Philippine Communities.”  Resource speakers from UP’s science community will enrich the fellows’ knowledge on the various areas of the science beat while the journalism faculty of UP will introduce them to the new tools and techniques of…

The UP College of Home Economics (CHE) inaugurated the newly renovated CHE Gusali 2 Building and held the groundbreaking ceremonies of the CHE Complex Phase 1 on Jun. 9 at the CHE grounds. The complex composed of the CHE Museum and the Department of Family Life and Child Development (FLCD) building, with the Child Development Center (CDC), is a response to better serve the needs of CHE constituents, UP community and other stakeholders. The CHE Gusali 2, a 2-storey building, underwent renovation from November 2015…

Lowering of corporate income tax from the current rate of 30 percent to 25 percent can further promote domestic and foreign investments in the Philippines, said UP School of Economics (UPSE) professor Dr. Stella Luz A. Quimbo. Her proposal is based on the results of her research “A Review of Corporate Income Tax Policy in the Philippines: Do investments respond to taxation and incentives? Evidence from the Philippines” which was the result of her UP President…

UP Diliman (UPD) honored 124 retirees – 41 faculty members, 15 Research, Extension and Professional Staff (REPS) and 68 administrative staff at the 2016 Parangal sa mga Retirado at 2015 Gawad Paglilingkod held last May 19 at the GT-Toyota Asian Center Auditorium. “This is the most important event in the Linggo ng Parangal 2016 because we are honoring the frontliners,” UPD Chancellor Michael L. Tan said at the ceremony. “Without them (the…