(JAN. 23)—The book “Crime and Punishment in the Philippines: Beyond Politics and Spectacle” is now available. In an email sent to the UP Diliman Information Office, the UP Department of Sociology through Athena Charanne R. Presto, faculty in-charge of public affairs, stated the book “assembles works from social science researchers, criminal justice practitioners, and a media practitioner in hopes of making sense of crime and punishment controversies in the Philippines.” Furthermore, because the book was written from the perspective of the social sciences, “the research behind the…

Hello there! We know that you’ve heard COVID-19 has variants now. And lately, the number of cases infected with the virus has gone up again. For health and safety reasons, UP Diliman decided to temporarily close the Academic Oval to the public on Saturday, January 23 until Thursday, February 4, 2021. It will be opened on Friday, February 5, 2021. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation, as always! And please, stay safe. See you soon!

Mayroong 35 na aktibong kaso ng COVID-19 sa UP Diliman at Barangay UP Campus ngayong Enero 21, 2021. Ang mga purok o komunidad sa UP Campus kung nasaan ang mga aktibong kaso ay nasa mapang kasama sa stat report na gawa ng Special Committee ng UP Diliman COVID-19 Task Force. Ibayong pag-iingat pa rin ang kinakailangan upang tuloy-tuloy na maibaba ang bilang ng mga aktibong kaso. Tandaan natin na hindi pa rin tapos ang laban kontra sa COVID-19. Mahigpit pa ring sundin ang mga pangkalusugang…

Statement from Dr. Jose V. Abueva Former President of the University of the Philippines Founder and former President of Kalayaan College Former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos and I had great respect for each other and for the institutions we represented. We had a deep understanding between us about the inalienable rights to freedom, democracy, justice and peace that lasted beyond our respective presidencies. There was a deep, mutual understanding of the need to uphold this agreement and do everything for the good of UP and the rights of its students, faculty and staff. This…

(JAN. 20)—UP Diliman (UPD) Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo denounced the one-way repealing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA/Agreement) signed between UP and the Department of National Defense (DND) prohibiting the entry of military and police into any UP campus without prior notification. In a statement released on Jan. 19, Nemenzo said “here is therefore no justifiable reason for the sudden and unilateral termination of the Agreement.” Signed on June 30, 1989 in the aftermath of martial law, the MOA states that neither military nor police can enter the premises, conduct operations, or take into custody any UP student, faculty or employee “without,…

Fidel Nemenzo Chancellor, UP Diliman 19 January 2021   The unilateral and unjustifiable abrogation by the Department of National Defense (“DND”) of the Agreement (“Agreement”) entered into on 30 June 1989 by and between the University of the Philippines System (“UP”) and the DND causes grave concern for several reasons. The Agreement was signed in 1989 in the aftermath of martial law.  It was a democratic response to the suppression of the University (and all freedoms) during the dictatorship and is a testament to academic freedom. Since then, the Agreement has effectively promoted cooperation between…

19 January 2021   Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana Department of National Defense Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City   Dear Secretary Lorenzana, I am acknowledging receipt of your letter of 15 January 2021 informing me of the unilateral abrogation by your office of the agreement signed on 30 June 1989 by then DND Secretary Fidel V. Ramos and then UP President Jose V. Abueva—an agreement that, you will recall, established certain norms and protocols governing relations between the University and military and police forces. I must express our grave concern over this abrogation, as it is totally unnecessary and unwarranted, and may result in worsening rather than improving relations…

19 January 2021   Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana Department of National Defense Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City   Dear Secretary Lorenzana, I am acknowledging receipt of your letter of 15 January 2021 informing me of the unilateral abrogation by your office of the agreement signed on 30 June 1989 by then DND Secretary Fidel V. Ramos and then UP President Jose V. Abueva—an agreement that, you will recall, established certain norms and protocols governing relations between the University and military and police forces. I must express our grave concern over this abrogation, as it is totally unnecessary and unwarranted, and may result in worsening rather than improving relations…

(JAN. 18)—The Office of Counseling and Guidance (OCG) mourns the loss of Guidance Services Specialist (GSS) Delia D. Laguyo who died Jan. 13 after a long and fierce battle with cancer. She was 64. An office under the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (OVCSA), OCG made the announcement of her passing on their Facebook page on Jan. 16. Laguyo served UP Diliman for 33 years. She began as a graduate assistant on Jan. 15, 1982, then as a library aide at the College of Science on Aug. 1,…

(JAN. 15)―UP Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology (IESM) professor Gay Jane Perez, PhD, is the Deputy Director General of the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA). Perez is part of a team of engineers and scientists that developed the country’s first microsatellites, the Diwata-1 and Diwata-2. She is the program leader of the STAMINA4 space Program, a research and development program “aimed at further developing deep expertise that enables and sustains the growth of a local scientific-industrial base in space technology and applications in the Philippines.” She is Associate Professor at IESM and…