UP Diliman once again has something to be proud of.
After receiving the Development Academy of the Philippines’ (DAP) Government Best Practice Recognition (GBPR) through the Supply and Property Management Office – Common-use Supplies and Equipment Portal (SPMO-CSE Portal) last year, the university was awarded the GBPR again, for the best practices of its UPD COVID-19 Task Force (UPDTF).
The UPDTF is one of six agencies awarded the GBPR 2021 among 14 finalists out of more than 30 participants. According to Vice Chancellor for Administration Adeline A. Pacia, the DAP invited UPD to submit entries to this year’s search for GBPR 2021. Considering the university’s efforts in responding to all COVID-19 issues, Pacia saw that the university had a high chance of winning.
“We were invited [to the GBPR 2021] so we submitted an entry. Last year, I felt we only had the SPMO-CSE Portal which might have a chance. When it was awarded among the top 10 and there was another call this year specific to our COVID-19 response, I felt the UPD COVID-19 response framework had a very high chance because of the breadth and depth of our initiatives, so we submitted,” Pacia said.
Although the GBPR does not come with a cash award, this is UPD’s chance to share with other agencies the university’s best practices in response to health issues, particularly COVID-19.
“(These are just) bragging rights, and the expectation that we will share our best practice with other agencies. For SPMO GBPR 2020 award, may mga tumawag na sa amin asking for assistance and guidance (on) the system we implemented so they may also implement it,” Pacia said.
UPD Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo created the UPDTF in March 2020; it is composed of faculty, staff, and students from different disciplines, who direct and implement UPD’s pandemic response. It was created to guide the operations of UPD during the pandemic.
According to the audio-visual presentation presented to the GBPR 2021 search, UPDTF members “have lent their expertise and provided multidimensional perspectives to a complex and evolving public health situation.”
The UPDTF initiated many projects, among these the two isolation facilities on campus—the Kanlungang Palma (April-June 2020) and Silungang Molave (August 2020-December 2021)—that both offered RT-PCR testing and have conducted more than 8,000 testing combined; the supervised contact tracing efforts through the UP Health Service Public Health Unit; and the Bakunahan sa Diliman, a volunteer-run vaccination site set up in coordination with the Quezon City local government. The vaccination site administered 12,545 vaccine doses to the UPD community and general public in its first three months of operation.
The DAP information said (https://dap.edu.ph/government-best-practice-recognition-gbpr-2021-call-for-entries-announced/) the GBPR started in 2015 and is a recognition program DAP set through its Productivity and Development Center (DAP-PDC). It serves as a harmonizing strategy to “‘advance the public sector productivity movement’ among Asian Productivity Organization (APO) member countries.” The GBPR’s judges are well-respected experts from the government and the competition follows the same set of criteria the International Best Practice Competition uses.
President’s award. In a related development, UPD’s efforts in public service during the pandemic were also acknowledged by the UP System through the 4th Gawad Pangulo: Award for Excellence in Public Service held virtually on Dec. 16.
The UPDTF once again drew accolades as one of the 15 awardees, and one of four from UPD, along with the College of Law Lingap Legal sa Panahon ng Pandemya, College of Engineering COVID-19 Response, and UPD Psychosocial Services (UPD PsycServ).
UPD and UP Manila each had four awardees, followed by UP Los Baños with two, while UP Baguio, UP Mindanao, UP Open University, UP System, and UP Visayas each had one awardee.
The 15 awardees were chosen out of 32 nominations from the various UP constituent universities and system offices that UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia said were “all exemplars of honor, excellence, and compassion.”
Each of the 15 were conferred the award and received P100,000 prize money.
In their citation, the winners were recognized for their exemplary work “contributing to the fulfillment of UP’s mandate to lead as a public service university, and to the nation’s response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The 4th Gawad Pangulo: Award for Excellence in Public Service, with the theme “Galing UP, Lingkod Bayan: Pagtugon sa Hamon ng Pandemya,” recognizes the outstanding COVID-19-related public service initiatives of faculty and staff in all UP CUs.
This presentation was used for the GBPR final round and awarding ceremony.