(MAY 31)—The UP Integrated School (UPIS) mourns the passing of Prof. Felicia “Betty” Delos Santos, former UPIS Assistant Principal for Academic Programs and Administration, on May 24.  She was 85. Delos Santos was a Library Assistant and Research Associate at UP Asian Labor Education Center (UP ALEC, now UP School of Labor and Industrial Relations) from 1959 to 1966 before teaching at UPIS. She graduated with aBS Secondary Education (major in English and minor in Library Science) in 1957and earned MA units in Communication Research on local fellowship at the UP Institute…

(MAY 26)—Amid the gradual reopening of commerce, a modicum of mobility among citizens had been observed in the last week, as Metro Manila came to life under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ). Anticipating the challenges of a more relaxed MECQ, UP Diliman (UPD) continued its efforts to assist its various publics. Donation drives.  COPE UP raised P63,170.70 as of May 6. The funds were used to purchase personal protective equipment, meal packs and sanitizing products for National Center for Mental Health frontliners. A non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian and university-wide recognized organization raising…

(MAY 19)—As some areas transitioned from enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to modified ECQ or General Community Quarantine, UP Diliman (UPD) continues to share its expertise and help those who were greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, living up to its mandate as a public service university. Here is an update on the initiatives or projects of various UPD units, student organizations and an alumni group. Face shield production. As of Apr. 27, UPD College of Engineering’s “3D Printing Solutions for our Frontliners” has produced 2,375 face shield frames using 17 3D printers, assembled…

(MAY 12)—Like most UP Diliman units, the UP School of Statistics (STAT) has projects addressing the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis. Foremost is the Schools’ involvement in the UP Resilience Institute and the UP System’s UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team. Outbreak threshold statistics. Prof. Peter Julian Cayton, PhD and instructor Jan Gil Sarmiento provided relevant monitoring statistics on the pandemic for the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team’s outbreak threshold methodology.  Using the number of active cases and the estimated threshold of an outbreak, they designed a recommendation rubric for the appropriate quarantine policy for a specific provincial or local government unit. The…

(APR. 28)—Former UP College of Arts and Letters (CAL) professor Randolf M. Bustamante passed away on Apr. 19. He was 49. Bustamante was a writer, poet, editor and translator who taught writing and humanities courses at UP and Ateneo de Manila University in the 1990s. According to the UP Gazette (Vol. XXXL No. 1), Bustamante was appointed as assistant professor at the UP Institute of Creative Writing effective Feb. 17, 2000. He later went to the US for a doctoral fellowship in Theology and Education, and taught writing courses at Boston…

Twelve individuals and an extension program received the Gawad Tsanselor, UP Diliman’s highest distinction for exemplary performance in various categories in 2019, in ceremonies held Feb. 28 at the University Theater Main Hall Stage. The winners comprised one extension program, three students, four administrative staff, one Research, Extension and Professional Staff (REPS) and four faculty members. Natatanging Programang Pang-Ekstensiyon. The Jose Vera Santos Memorial Herbarium and Institute of Biology – Energy Development Corporation (IB-EDC) Threatened Species…

The University of the Philippines Diliman is jubilant in announcing that the Board of Regents has selected a new chancellor, Dr. Fidel Nemenzo, a recognized scholar and academic leader.  Dr. Nemenzo will serve for three years, succeeding Dr. Michael Lim Tan, whose term ends on March 1, 2020. Dr. Nemenzo is currently the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development, and a professor at the Institute of Mathematics. In a multisectoral forum held last month, Dr. Nemenzo explained he is a “batang UP”, having grown up in and receiving his elementary, high school…

(FEB. 26)—“Tourism is a key driver of socio-economic progress,” said Prof. Leticia Susan Lagmay-Solis, PhD at her Affirmation Rites as the 8th Dean of the UP Asian Institute of Tourism (AIT). The UP Board of Regents (BOR) appointed Solis at its 1349th meeting on Nov. 28, 2019. Solis, who serves until Nov. 27, 2022, succeeded Prof. Edieser D. Dela Santa, PhD. “It is a catalyst for the conservation of the natural environment, heritage and culture, and a major contributor to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Solis said. Collaborations. To pursue the…

(JAN. 29)—Security Bank Foundation, Inc. (SBFI) entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with UP Diliman (UPD) granting scholarship to four deserving students taking courses directly supporting bank operations. Four students from the Cesar E.A. Virata School of Business (VSB) will receive the scholarship grant effective first semester for Academic Year 2019-2020. They are Ivie Luizsa R. Azor (BS Business Administration/BA), Christian Joseph Mallorca (BS Business Administration and Accountancy/BAA), Maryl Denica S. Mondragon (BS BAA) and Jhaera Mae A. Tordesillas (BS BAA). SBFI led by chairman Rafael F. Simpao Jr. and Chancellor Michael…

The Japan Foundation and the UP Asian Center are calling for submissions of Japan-related research for the “Japanese Studies in the Philippines: The 2020 Nationwide Research Competition.” The competition is open to Filipino students enrolled in colleges and universities across the Philippines. Winners will receive a five-day all-expenses paid trip to Japan from 24 February to 28 February 2020 (To be confirmed). Application Period Application period will run from 14 October 2019 to 13 December 2019. General Eligibility Guidelines Currently enrolled in a BA/BS, or an MA/MS/PhD program in a Philippine university Holder…