What’s UP? is a publication of the UP Diliman Information Office under the Office of the Chancellor, UP Diliman. Its editorial office is located at 2/F University Theater (Villamor Hall), Osmeña Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City, with telephone numbers 981-8500 loc. 3982/3983, email address upd.ugnayan@gmail.com. What’s UP? accepts announcements of activities of UPD academic and administrative units and student organizations, as well as call for papers. Text should not exceed 400 words and must contain the event’s title, venue, date and time, contact information of the organizing group and…

(DEC. 2)— National Scientist and University Professor Emeritus Edgardo D. Gomez, passed away on Sunday night, Dec. 1. He was 81. Gomez was conferred the rank of National Scientist in 2014 “for his outstanding contributions to science particularly his research on marine ecosystems which became the bases for management of and the conservation programs for the country’s marine resources.” He was known for his notable researches in coral reef ecology and restoration, conservation of marine resources, reproduction of marine invertebrates and culture of giant clams. A founding director of the internationally acclaimed The UP Marine Science Institute from July 1974…

(DEC. 2) – Prof. Jonathan C. Malicsi, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Linguistics passed away yesterday, Dec. 1. He was 72 years old. Malicsi was a member of the faculty of the Department of Linguistics of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy and continuously served the University for 53 years. According to Prof. Jem R. Javier, Department Chair of Linguistics, Malicsi was the first director of the President’s Commission on Culture and the Arts (PCCA), the precursor of the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts. He served…

(NOV. 29) — The Philippines supplies more than a quarter of the highly globalized labour market for seafarers. This was mentioned in the study of Prof. Maragtas S.V. Amante, PhD, of the UP School of Labor and Industrial Relations, “Philippine Seafarers in the Rough Seas of the Global Labour Market.” (https://www.psap-parola.org/resources/research/philippine-seafarers-in-the-rough-seas-of-the-global-labour-market/) The recently held international symposium at UP Palma Hall “Understanding Seafarers: Identities, Narratives and Contexts” is all about shedding light on the human and social dimensions of Filipino seafarers. Prof. Carlos P. Tatel Jr., PhD, in his correspondences with UPDate Diliman…

(NOV 28)—UP Diliman was the top performing school in the November 2019 Chemical Engineer Licensure Examinations with five of the College of Engineering Department of Chemical Engineering’s (COE-DCE) graduates making it to the top 10. All 119 COE-DCE graduates passed on their first try, giving UPD a 100 percent passing rate and making it number 1 of the top performing schools (those with 50 or more examinees and with at least 80% passing percentage). Leading the pack is Maru Feriel del Carmen with an 85.80 rating, putting him in second place…

(NOV. 21)— One of the most significant characteristics of Asian expressive traditions is the concept of integration, National Artist for Music Ramon P. Santos said. Santos was the closing keynote speaker at the “Rhetoric of Creative Partnership: Conversations on Cross-cultural Exchanges” (Rhetoric), a gathering of performing artists from different countries in Asia on Nov. 15. Santos discussed “Crossing Artistic Borders in Sonic Creative Expressions” where he cited works and practices that illustrate “creative partnership and amalgamation of artistic expressions.” “In this integrative forms, different artistic categories are merged in different ways of expressing…

(NOV. 25)—Artistic collaboration is a bit like a storm. Unpredictable, with flashes of blinding inspiration followed by the rolling thunder of applause. And it often leaves those caught in it transformed. This was Japanese playwright Kentaro Matsui’s experience as he talked about several collaborations with other Asian artists during his opening keynote speech at the “Rhetoric of Creative Partnership: Conversations on Cross-Cultural Artistic Exchanges” on Nov. 14 at the GT-Toyota Asian Center. A theater producer, critic and dramaturg based in the Fujimi Culture Hall KIRARI FUJIMI where he is the Director, Matsui…

(NOV. 22)— Multi-awarded filmmaker and playwright Bonifacio “Boni” P. Ilagan is this year’s Gawad Plaridel awardee. He was conferred the award in the transmedia category on Nov. 20 at the UP Film Center’s Cine Adarna. Socially-conscious works. The UP College of Mass Communication (CMC) commended Ilagan “For the artistry of his socially-conscious works in theater, film and television, which have garnered recognition from the Cultural Center of the Philippines Centennial Honors for the Arts, Gawad Balagtas, the University of the Philippines (UP) Creative Writing Center (now UP Institute of Creative Writing), Don Carlos…

(NOV. 21)—Dwayne Joshua Pineda Rafael, a UPD BS Geology magna cum laude graduate, topped the November 2019 Geologist Licensure Examinations with a rate of 85.4 percent. Seven other successful examinees from the UP National Institute of Geological Sciences made it to the top 10. They were: Armani Yula Verdadero Estanislao (2nd place, 85.2%); Marco Alfredo Josol Barrientos, (3rd place, 84.9%); Daryl Louis Lim Tiangco (4th place, 84.4%); Jan Cedric Guerrero Sisracon (5th place, 84.3%); Jose Santiago Armildez Feril (6th place, 84.2%); Christian Pangilinan Jimenez (7th place, 83.8%); and Jaime Marie Loise Casem…

(NOV. 20)— The “Rhetoric of Creative Partnership: Conversations on Cross-cultural Exchanges” (Rhetoric), a gathering of performing artists from different countries in Asia, was concluded successfully on Nov. 15. The 2-day international conference hosted by the UP College of Arts and Letters Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts (DSCTA) and the Japan Foundation, Manila Inc. was held from Nov. 14 to Nov. 15 at the UP Asian Center. Asian Center Dean Joefe B. Santarita and DSCTA chair Prof. Belen D. Calingacion, PhD each delivered the closing remarks.