History The University of the Philippines was established in 1908 by Act No. 1870 of the Philippine Legislature to “give advanced instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences and arts, and to give professional and technical training to every qualified student regardless of age, sex, nationality, religious belief and political affiliation.” Three colleges initially comprised UP: the College of Fine Arts, College of Liberal Arts and the College of Medicine and Surgery, all located along Padre Faura and R. Hidalgo streets in the City of Manila. Another academic unit, the School of Agriculture, was established in Los Baños, Laguna. The succeeding years…

Vargas Museum Jorge B. Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Center—The Jorge B. Vargas Art Collection consists of works by late 19th century artists such as Lorenzo Guerrero, Simon Flores, Juan Luna and Felix Resurrecion Hidalgo and from the 1930s and 1940s, most notably by Fabian de la Rosa and Fernando Amorsolo. There are also artworks by Jorge Pineda, Vicente Rivera y Mir and other artists who were referred to as belonging to the “Amorsolo School.” The collection also…

The Galileo Galilei Award of the International Commission of Optics (ICO) is given for outstanding contributions to the field of optics achieved under “comparatively unfavorable circumstances,” refering to “difficult economic or social conditions or lack of access to scientific or technical facilities or sources of information.” The outstanding contributions must be documented, if applicable, by internationally-acknowledged publications. The award is normally given to one person; however, if a collective contribution is judged to be worthy of the award, a team of several persons may be selected. The award consists of the Galileo Galilei Medal, a…

Text and image by Benito V. Sanvictores  Jr. (July-August)—He works in a discreet area in the third floor of the University Library at UP Diliman (UPD). His old, dependable desk is set amidst the sea of books and other printed materials stacked side by side and on top of each other on the book shelves, waiting for his hands to give them a new lease…

By Albino C. Gamba Jr. (July-August)—How safe is your buko water? Buko beverages are prepared manually, making them vulnerable to contamination of pathogens or disease-causing microorganisms, says Dr. Alonzo A. Gabriel, an associate professor at the Department of Food Science and Nutrition of the UP College of Home Economics. “The highly manual nature of the preparation of buko water, even those commercially sold, makes it more susceptible to pathogen contaminations. The more contact with the person preparing the product, the higher the risk or susceptibility of…

CHED “Category A” Journals. UP Diliman has six journals with a “Category A” rating from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). A CHED “Category A” journal is credited as an international level publication. It receives from CHED P200,000 per year during the effectivity of accreditation, and an endorsement for library subscription. Humanities Diliman: A Journal on Philippine Humanities. An internationally-refereed journal for the humanities, which comes out… Humanities Diliman: A Journal on Philippine Humanities. An internationally-refereed journal for the humanities, which comes out… Humanities Diliman: A Journal on Philippine Humanities. An internationally-refereed journal for the humanities, which comes out…

Research has always been embedded in the culture of the University of the Philippines. As mandated by RA 9500, or the UP Charter of 2008, the University must lead in initiating innovations in research and serve as a research university by promoting and implementing research and development in various fields of expertise. Now, more actively than ever, UP Diliman (UPD) has been taking its research initiatives to a higher level not only by implementing groundbreaking research, but also by promoting the dissemination and application of research and…

Institute for Small-Scale Industries Established on March 2, 1966 through a bilateral agreement between the Republic of the Philippines and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the UP Institute for Small-Scale Industries (ISSI) was originally set up as the training institute for the Philippine small industries. On Aug. 4, 1969, the Institute was established through Republic Act No. 6041 as a research and extension unit of the University of the Philippines. The institute gradually built…

A Anthropology (MA, PhD) Applied Mathematics (MS) Applied Mathematics/Actuarial Science (PM) Araling Pilipino (MA) Archaeology (Dip, MA, MS, PhD) Architecture (M) Archives and Records Management (M) Art History, Art Theory and Criticism, Curatorial Studies (MA) Artificial Intelligence (MEng, PhD) Asian Studies (M, MA) B Biology (Dip, MS, PhD) Business Administration (MBA, DBA) C Chemical Engineering (MS, PhD) Chemistry (Dip,…

A Anthropology Applied Physics Applied Psychology Architecture Art Education Art History Art Studies (Art History, Interdisciplinary, Philippine Art) B Biology Broadcast Communication Building Technology Business Administration Business Administration and Accountancy Business Economics Business Economics (UPEPP) Business Management (UPEPP) C Chemical Engineering Chemistry Civil Engineering Clothing…