June pages 1-4 - University of the Philippines Visayas

VOL. VIII No. 6
A New School Year Starts
JOHN CHRISTOPHER CLAVESILLAS echoed the enthusiasm of a
freshman as he addressed incoming and returning students, faculty,
and staff during the Opening Exercises for School Year 2007-2008.
Of the 70,341 applicants who
took the UP College Admission
Test in testing centers nationwide
in August last year, only 12,053 or
about 17% passed. Out of the more
than 6,000 that signified UP
Visayas as their campus of choice,
1,401 qualified for admission.
From this, 890 made it to the UPV
enrollment.
During the Opening Exercises
on 13 June 2007 at the Iloilo City
campus, the program included
speeches from an incoming 1 st year
student, a 4 th year student, a
successful businessman-alumnus,
and a keynote message from the
Chancellor. A new addition to the
program was a videotaped message
of UP President Emerlinda Roman.
A freshperson’s thoughts
“The only thing harder than
getting into UP, is staying in UP,”
says John Christopher Clavesillas,
a BS Economics fresher.” Like
most incoming students, he was
Prof. Margarita T. de la Cruz is
this year’s recipient of the UPAA
Community Service Award for the
Visayas. The UPAA annually grants
special awards to UP alumni who
have made significant contributions
in their respective fields.
Prof. de la Cruz is the current
Chair of the Division of Natural
Sciences and Mathematics of the
UPV Tacloban College. She is also
the Coordinator of the Regional
Environmental Information System
(REIS) which serves as the
Geographic Information System
(GIS) laboratory of the College.
REIS provides the basic information
to local government units, nongovernment
organizations, people’s
organizations, academic institutions
and other agencies in the
management and sustainability of
environmental resources. She
served as the Network Coordinator
of the Region 8 GIS Network until
December 2006. Under her
leadership, the Network was able to
conduct three GIS Network
Conferences in the region which
provided a high-level venue for
persons in the academe,
government, NGOs, and industry to
share initiatives and applications of
GIS in scientific investigations,
fired up about having passed the
highly competitive UPCAT and be
in the company of the brightest in
the country. Yet after the elation,
he admitted to being filled with
anxiety.
“Being an Iskolar ng Bayan
entails a lot of responsibilities and
pressures, for the Filipino
taxpayers are the ones paying for
our fees. Hindi ba nakakakunsensyang
magbubulakbol tayo?” Doing good
in school, studying hard and
graduating on time to serve the
Filipino people were the ways he
enumerated as to how the Iskolar
ng Bayan could pay back being
subsidized for their UP education.
The more jaded senior students
met Clavesillas’ speech with
cynicism while the administration
responded with approval when he
cautioned fellow freshers not to
get into sex, cigarettes, drugs, and
alcohol – “be wise and don’t forget
the moral values instilled in us by
our families.”
resource management, governance,
and development planning.
With her working knowledge in
marine biology, Prof. de la Cruz
was able to mobilize the fisherfolks
of Guiuan, Eastern Samar to
preserve and promote the marine
ecology of the area. In tandem with
some people’s organizations, she is
credited to have established in
Eastern Visayas the first seaweed
ranch, mudcrab ranch, and the
Bagonbanua Marine Reserve and
Fish Sanctuary which boasts of a
variety of marine resources.
Prof. de la Cruz, moreover,
founded the Guiuan Development
Foundation Inc. (GDFI) in 1988
where she continues to serve as its
Executive Director. The GDFI was
created to promote the socioeconomic
and environmental wellbeing
of the coastal municipalities
of Eastern Samar. It also serves as
the Secretariat for the Alliance of
Seven Municipalities for Integrated
Coastal Zone Management in
which the various municipalities of
the province—from Lawaan in the
north to Guiuan in the south—have
taken on the responsibility of
managing their own respective
coastal resources. Prof. de la Cruz
has likewise initiated programs to
U.P. IN THE VISAYAS OFFICIAL PUBLICATION
Read UPViews online at www.upv.edu.ph
He seemed wise beyond his years
when he pointed out to his peers,
who are filled with dreams and kids
who know next to nothing about
college life, that “sowing the seeds
of a good future starts not tomorrow
but today.”
He even challenged his batch
mates to produce a summa cum
laude. (UPV has yet to have one).
“It could be me, it could be you. It
could be anyone. Nothing is
impossible,” he averred.
Quoting from Marie Curie, he
ended his message by saying that
the future belongs to those who
believe in the beauty of their
dreams, thus “Never lose sight of
your dreams.”
A senior’s words of wisdom
Senior BS Food Technology
student Merryl Lee Gonzales
conveyed to the newest batch of
UPV Iloilo enrollees that passing
the UPCAT and choosing to enroll
in UP means that they are destined
for great things. With a big-sister
disposition, she related that she was
also scared when she first came.
“I know that you feel mixed
emotions like I did then. You are
nervous about how your life will be
in UP and how different it will be
from high school. Yes, college life
is far different from high school but
I know it won’t take long for you
to adjust because UP students are
smart and flexible.”
Gonzales told them not expect
special treatment for having
graduated at the top of their class
in high school since almost
everyone who gets admitted to UP
Continued on page 3
De la Cruz Is 2007 UPAA Community
Service Awardee
PROF. MARGARITA DE LA
CRUZ during the UPAA
Awarding Ceremonies.
monitor marine resources which
consequently involved the
enthusiastic commitment of men and
women in the various communities
of the province. Indeed, with over 20
years of dedicated community
service, Prof. de la Cruz has become
a prominent and noteworthy agent of
change in the field of environmental
rehabilitation and conservation.
The coveted award was conferred
on June 23, 2007 during the 2007
U.P. General Alumni-Faculty
Homecoming and Reunion at the
Ang Bahay ng Alumni in U.P.
Diliman, Quezon City. No less than
U.P. President Emerlinda R. Roman
hosted a dinner to honor the UPAA
awardees in the various categories.
(Prof. Stephen Lagarde, UPVTC )
DR. PAULITO PALMES with co-author and research supervisor, Prof.
Shiro Usui , during the presentation of their work at the International
Joint Conference in Neural Networks in Portland, U.S.A.
Palmes Wins NAST
Outstanding Young
Scientist Award in Eng’g
It’s in the gene pool. The
Palmeses are achievers. Dr. Paulito
P. Palmes of Fundidor, Molo, Iloilo
City, is this year’s Outstanding
Young Scientist (OYS) awardee in
the field of Engineering. The
citation is from the National
Academy of Science and
Technology (NAST) that honors
young Filipino scientists who have
made significant contributions to
science and technology. The
awarding ceremonies will be held
on July 12, 2007 at the Manila
Hotel during the NAST Annual
Scientific Meeting.
Paulito is the third in his family
to receive the OYS award. The two
others were older brother Dr.
Patricio Palmes in 2001 for
Medicine and sister Dr. Cynthia
Palmes-Saloma in 2004 for
Biology.
Now a practicing cardiologist,
Patricio was a BS Biology cum
laude graduate at UPV in 1985.
Cynthia graduated valedictorian
at the UP High School in Iloilo in
1984 and was magna cum laude
in BS Fisheries at UPV in 1988.
She is currently a faculty member
at the National Institute of
Molecular Biology and
Biotechnology in UP Diliman.
Paulito himself graduated cum
laude in BS Applied Math in 1991
at UP in the Visayas where he was
immediately hired as faculty
member of the Division of
Physical Sciences and
Mathematics. In 1995, he earned
his MS in Computer Science at
the Ateneo de Manila University.
It was the Monbusho
Scholarship in Japan that turned
Paulito into a world-class scientist.
Under the mentoring of Prof. Shiro
Usui at the RIKEN Brain Science
Institute, their team developed,
according to him, “technologies to
address the problems in automatic
keyword extraction, ranking, and
organization for the
neuroinformatics portals.”
He added that with the rapid
explosion of digital information,
their results are useful in helping
scientists around the world to
easily manage and share their
disparate research data, significant
findings, research techniques, and
methodologies. The stint in RIKEN
resulted in several papers in data
mining that he co-authored.
Returning to the Philippines in
2006 after finishing his Doctor of
Engineering degree from the
JUNE 2007
Toyohashi University of
Technology, Dr. Palmes taught for
a year in the computer science
department of the Ateneo de
Manila University. In July 2007, he
will be off again for a Postdoctoral
Research Fellowship Grant from
the National University of
Singapore School of Computing.
While teaching in Ateneo,
Paulito collaborated with his sister
Cynthia Palmes-Saloma and
graduate students in developing
machine learning approaches to
identify critical amino residues
responsible for the fluorescent
properties (GFP) of certain marine
organisms. While more research
has to be done, they have
successfully identified interesting
regions in the DNA sequence that
provided good accuracy in
discriminating fluorescent from
chromophore-encoding GFP genes
in marine invertebrates. Their
current research examines closely
the characteristics of these regions.
Successful identification of these
residues can be utilized to develop
DNA markers that can be used as
reporters of gene expression in
heterologous systems.
Dr. Palmes’ research interests
encompass many areas such as
applied math, data mining,
evolutionary computing, machine
learning, optimization, and
recently, sentient computing. His
early publications as a graduate
student centered on the
optimization of artificial neural
networks (ANN) learning and
architecture using stochastic and
evolutionary approaches.
“What I enjoy most in being
active in research is the chance and
privilege to travel and interact with
fellow scientists around the world
through conferences and
fellowship grants,” he enthused.
He is highly thankful for the
influence and support of his family,
friends, and teachers.
“Surely, developing a scientist in
the family is a product of team effort
starting from the family,
community, school, government, as
well as private and professional
organizations. One may have the
genes to be a ‘scientist ’ but it takes
a village and the right kind of
mentoring to realize it.” This was
his statement on why he has
achieved what he has achieved.
(Lyncen M. Fernandez, UPV-IPO;
with sources from Dr. Paulito P.
Palmes)

2
Tan
Renew ties with the alumni.
This is the rationale behind the
“Kamusta Ka, Iskolar ng
Bayan,” a project of the UPV
Alumni Office launched in May
2006. The alumni chapters in the
provinces of Aklan, Antique and
Capiz were visited last year and
updated on UP and UPV,
especially on the projects of the
Alumni Office such as the
“Libro para sa Iskolar ng
Bayan.” This is a book drive that
encourages the alumni to donate
books to the UPV library.
Because of these visits, the UPV
alumni in Negros were able to
organize themselves and form a
chapter together with some
graduates from other UP
constituent universities based in
Negros.
The UPV Alumni Office, now
elevated into the Office of the
Alumni Relations (OAR),
started another round of visits
this year with the Chapter in the
province of Antique as the first
stop on March 27, 2007. Prof.
Amy D. Tanoy, formerly
Assistant to the Chancellor for
Alumni Affairs, is now the
Director of OAR. The Kamusta
Ka, Iskolar ng Bayan project is
her brainchild.
The visit in Antique was like
seeing old friends and family.
Prof. Tanoy formally presented
the services that OAR has put
in place to cater to the needs
of the alumni. These services
are as follows:
• Prepare the alumni
directory;
• Organize alumni-related
activities;
• Disseminate information;
• Facilitate venues for
meetings;
• Organize university tours,
briefings, and orientations;
• Facilitate requests for
University documents;
• Campaign for membership;
• Prepare donation papers;
and
• Organize fund-raising
projects.
In addition, Prof. Tanoy also
introduced some of the new
projects of OAR.
The proposed UP Alumni
Gallery will showcase alumni
memorabilia such as
photographs, old UP
paraphernalia/articles,
manuscripts and other
documents and memoirs of
UPV alumni.
Tan Is IPO’s New Director
The Information and
Publications Office has a new
Director effective 25 June 2007
in the person of Prof. Ma. Joji B.
Tan from the UP High School in
Iloilo. An Associate Professor of
English, Prof. Tan brings to the
post an excellent educational
background and expertise,
including a Master of Education
in English from UPV and a
Master of Arts degree in
Teaching English to Speakers of
The Hundred-Dollar-for-
Iskolar Ng Bayan/Sandaang-
Piso para-sa-Iskolar ng Bayan
aims to raise funds for student
scholarships.
The Faculty and Alumni
Mentoring through Electronic
Media (FAME) Program will
provide mentoring and
consultation services through
the electronic media for
currently enrolled students on
career choices and options. The
mentors will come from
members of the UP faculty and
alumni who are willing to share
their unique career
experiences. As part of the UP
Centennial Project, 100
mentors will be recruited to
serve as core mentors.
Meanwhile, the Professorial
Chair/ Faculty Grants will be
provided for the members of
the faculty in recognition of
their meritorious work in the
field of research, teaching, and
creative endeavors. The funds
for this will be generated from
cash donations.
Some classrooms and
laboratories will be earmarked
for refurbishing and will be
furnished with state-of the-art
equipment and facilities.
A more ambitious project
will support the construction of
the following proposed
structures:
1. Chemical Engineering
Building;
2. Food Pilot Plant;
3. Centennial Garden;
4. CM Faculty Center;
5. High School Centennial
Building;
6. Alumni Park; and
Other Languages from the
Moray House Institute of
Education, Herriot Watt
University in Edinburgh,
Scotland, United Kingdom. She
has been teaching graduate
courses in the MEd (ESL)
program of UPV since 1993 and
has always been an active
teacher trainer in second
language teaching.
Prof. Tan will be serving the
IPO for the second time as she
Kamusta Ka, Iskolar ng Bayan 2
NEWLY ELECTED UPAA- GUIMARAS CHAPTER OFFICERS take
their oath before OAR Director Amy D. Tanoy.
7. Diwata Complex.
The Libreng Board and
Lodging para sa Iskolar ng
Bayan will provide one or two
students free food and
accommodations during their
duration of study in the home
of an alumnus/alumna who is
willing to sponsor.
The Libro para sa Iskolar ng
Bayan Project, which was
launched last year, is still
ongoing. The project aims at
increasing the existing library
book collection by asking from
generous alumni here and
abroad old or new books with
copyright dates from 2000-
20005. Alumni chapters in
New York, Toronto and
Chicago as well as private
individuals here and abroad
have given their pledges of
support for the project.
UPViews is a monthly publication of the Information and Publications Office (IPO), UP in the
Visayas with campuses in Miagao (Iloilo), Iloilo City, Cebu City and Tacloban City.
Editor: Prof. Ma. Joji B. Tan
Managing Editors: Anna Razel L. Ramirez, Lyncen M. Fernandez
Contributing Writers: Sharon Galorport, Prof. Stephen Lagarde, Mr. Randy Madrid
Banner Design: Ramon B. Ramirez
Circulation Manager: Perfecta G. Talavera
Address: 5023-A Miagao, Iloilo; Tel. Nos.(033) 338-1535 (trunk line)
local 255 & 315-9494 (fax phone); E-mail: upvipo@yahoo.com
was Director of the office from
1994-1999. In 1994, her
appointment enabled her to
initiate stapes to reactivate the
IPO and relocate it at the Miagao
campus. She also revived the
UPV Newsletter, which was a
bimonthly publication of the
IPO. During her current term,
she plans to strengthen the
network of information officers
among the different offices/units
in UPV, revitalize the
The Antique Chapter did not
send Prof. Tanoy home emptyhanded.
Of the many projects
she presented, the Chapter
responded to the $100 / P100
for the Iskolar ng Bayan
project. This project really
targets the alumni abroad to
send a $100-donation. Alumni
in the Philippines, however,
can also get involved by giving
P100, which is not heavy on the
pocket and is therefore
achievable. The Antique
Chapter pledged to come up
with 100 alumni who will give
P100 each. It will therefore be
in the position of being the
Chapter that will initiate the
launch of this project during
the Alumni homecoming in July
2007.
The next stop was the visit
in Guimaras on March 30,
2007. The primary
accomplishment of the visit
was the formation of the UP
Alumni Chapter in Guimaras.
The following are the elected
officers:
President: Ruben M. Gamala
Vice-President: Mae de la
Torre Gargalicana
Secretary: Divina Duco-
Tanaleon
Treasurer: Lenny S.
Gonzales
Auditor: Mary Joy S. Tan
PRO Buenavista: Renan G.
Ferrer & Prof. Ma. Luz J.
Gabayoyo
MR. GEORGE TIOPES, President of the UP Alumni Association,
addresses the Tacloban alumni and UPV Team.
PRO Jordan: Julieta Galila-
Infante
The first order of business
for the newly formed chapter
was identifying who are the
graduates of UP or UPV who hail
from the four municipalities of
the province. It was impressive
that the officers have a running
list in their minds on who these
alumni are and what province
they come from. They came up
with 60 names. They will soon
call another meeting and expect
a greater participation from the
province.
The choppy waters between
Iloilo and Negros did not
dampen the enthusiasm of
Director Tanoy as she visited the
alumni on March 31, 2007. In
addition to briefing the Negros
JUNE 2007
information dissemination
function of the IPO, among
others, and produce information
materials that will continue to
highlight UPV’s accomplishments
and contributions towards the
achievement of local and national
development goals.
She is married to Eduardo
Tan and has three children,
namely, Dax, Gerthrode, and
Buford. (Anna Razel L Ramirez,
IPO)
alumni about the projects on the
office, she also reminded them of
the Faculty and Alumni
Homecoming spearheaded by the
UPAA Iloilo in partnership with
OAR and in collaboration with
the UPAA Regional Chapters in
Panay.
UPAA Iloilo is also working
on the implementation of the
proposed ID system that would
be distributed among the alumni
in the region.
Prof. Tanoy was accompanied
by Joseph Anthony G. Escaran,
Information Officer of the OAR
and Lyncen Fernandez of the
Information and Publications
Office. (Lyncen M. Fernandez;
IPO)
Kalibo Alumni Promise to
Plant Mangrove Seedlings in
Guimaras
The trip to Kalibo with Dr.
Sonia Seville was a happy
reunion for UPAA-Kalibo group
at the same venue they had last
year, Caffe Latte. Prof. Amy
Tanoy presented the plans and
projects of the OAR in
preparation for the centennial
celebration next year.
Emphasizing the July 27
scheduled Alumni and Faculty
Homecoming, the visitors for
Iloilo received an enthusiastic
response regarding the
forthcoming participation of the
Kalibo group.
Former Congressman and
active UPAA-Kalibo alumnus,
Atty. Allen Quimpo, also
proposed Kalibo’s contribution
for the restoration of Guimaras
ecology after the oil spill by
planting 10,000 pieces of
propagules (mangrove
seedlings) the day after the
homecoming. It was learned
during the meeting that the
Kalibo Mangrove Reforestation
Project, with Atty. Quimpo at the
helm, was cited as the recipient
of the Golden Eagle Award for
Excellence in Environmental
Preservation.
Green Woodstock for Cebu
Alumni
Although not overwhelming in
number, alumni members from
UPV Cebu discussed with OAR
representatives how they gearedup
for the upcoming centennial
celebrations during the meeting
on May 2 at the UPV Cebu
campus. Proposals included the
staging of a “Green Woodstock”
– a marathon concert with an
environmental theme which
would surely appeal to the young
as much as the “has beens” of the
university.
The Cebu alumni, headed by
their president Dr. Romero
Villar, also clarified about the
status of the University I.D. for
which they have given payment
but has not yet been released to
date. Such ID’s will allow
them to use University
facilities including the library.
The Cebu-Chapter officers
also expressed their
consternation about UP
Continued on page 3

JUNE 2007 3
Tiston Appointed National Referee and
National Coach
Mr. Ariel Tiston, a UPVTC
faculty member in Physical
Education, has recently been
appointed National Referee and
National Coach in Volleyball by
the Philippine Volleyball
Federation and the National Sports
Association for Volleyball during
the First Eastern Visayas
Volleyball Referee Licensure and
Accreditation Conference 2007
held on March 6-10, 2007 at the
Ritz Tower de Leyte, Tacloban
City. Hosted by the Volleyball
A New School Year ... from page 1
is an achiever. “When you enter UP,
you are all equals,” she remarked.
The Chair of the School of
Technology Student Council also
stressed that students should brace
themselves for different difficulties
because “challenges and problems
make you strong.”
According to her, the most
important quality that UP students
should have is a positive attitude
since it will influence the choices
they make. As one who is with the
upper class, she gave some hardearned
tips to younger members:
manage time, come to class and for
exams prepared, unwind after
exams, be informed of what is
happening in the country, make
friends, have an inspiration, and
have fun.
Reflecting on her three years in
college, Gonzales marveled at how
UP has transformed her from being
a shy introvert with low self-esteem
to a confident student leader who
is not afraid to take on
responsibilities and to speak her
mind. For this alone, her UP
education has indeed accomplished
something good in her life.
A testimony from the poor boy
that makes it big
He was one bright kid born to a
farming family in a remote barrio,
then with a nil chance of breaking
free from the life of poverty.
Nicanor Cual and thousands of
others like him is the reason why
there is a University of the
Philippines.
If there was no UP, what chance
did such a boy have of earning a
degree from the likes of LaSalle or
Ateneo? If he got admitted to any
of the other colleges, how could he
have survived? In UP, he qualified
for a full scholarship with a stipend
through the now defunct FEM
scholarship for students enrolling
in BS Fisheries.
“I came from the province of
Isabela in Cagayan Valley. I had no
relatives in Manila to go to for help.
My parents were farm workers and
were not familiar with the big city
so they did not accompany me. I
was on my own. I experienced
sleeping in bus terminals to pass the
night because I could not afford to
pay even the cheapest lodgings,” he
sentimentally recalled.
It was abject poverty that drove
the lad to become a man during his
years at the College of Fisheries in
UP Diliman. (The College later
moved to UP Visayas located in
Miagao, Iloilo.)
He pushed aside overwhelming
feelings of self-pity and focused on
his studies. He couldn’t tell about
his family and found it hard to
relate to his peers who came from
better-off backgrounds.
Association of Leyte, the said
event is in line with the Federation
of International Volleyball’s
vision to promote the sport of
volleyball. Mr. Tiston is probably
the only UPV faculty who has
earned this distinction in this
particular field.
Mr. Tiston has recently
returned to UPVTC after
successfully earning a Master of
Science degree in Human
Movement Science (major in
Exercise Science) at the College
He also seldom talked about his
degree program because it was
considered as unglamorous
compared to the likes of
engineering, law or medicine. “But
BS Fisheries was my best option
then because the FEM scholarship
gave out the biggest stipend. With
an acceptable amount of allowance
from the government, the chance
of finishing college was higher,”
he explained.
So what was the most important
advice he gave to the incoming
students? “Develop your study
habit and focus!” He considered
these as the first steps they need to
take to succeed in UP.
Showing an insight that is yet to
be appreciated by generations of
Filipino parents who push their
children to get good grades and to
be in the ‘honor roll,’ Cual would
rather that one should study
because one wants to learn. “It was
a pity that in my 14 years of school,
I was only concerned about the
grade, to pass the exam to maintain
my scholarship. It could have been
more exciting then if one of the
reasons for studying was to learn,”
he pointed out.
While focus and personality are
some of the things that help one
succeed in life, having a vision is
also essential. “Your vision
determines your destiny. When
you see what is possible and
believe that it can come to pass, it
makes you capable of doing the
impossible.”
“Work your dream out. It was
the vision of flight that inspired
the Wright brothers to invent the
airplane. It was the vision of light
that possessed Thomas Edison to
invent the light bulb. It was the
vision of a desk-sized computer
that motivated Steve Jobs to come
up with the desktop computer.”
“A young man did a college
paper in his economics class on
his vision for overnight mail. The
professor took a red pen, gave him
a C and wrote, ‘Do not dream of
things that cannot happen.’ The
young man left school and started
Federal Express.”
Cual knows exactly what he is
talking about. From that farm in
Isabela, Cual is now the owner
and President of Universal Scope
Philippines Inc., a multi-million
company engaged in importing
and distributing aquaculture,
agriculture, and animal husbandry
products. His firm exclusively
represents foreign companies in
the Philippines and hires about 60
families under its wing. There are
other big firms engaged in the
same trade but what makes Cual’s
stand out is that, whereas most are
financed by wealthy businessmen
of Human Kinetics in UP
Diliman. He is currently the only
person who holds such a degree
in the region. His thesis entitled
“Validation of a Self-Made
Serving Skill Test in Volleyball”
has earned the distinction of being
the only skills test made outside
of major universities in the US,
Canada and the UK. As contained
in his thesis, the Tiston Serving
Skills Test was validated using the
standardized skills tests used by
the American Association for
Physical Education, Recreation
and Dance. (Prof. Stephen
Lagarde, UPVTC)
to begin with, he built his from
scratch.
The Chancellor’s welcome
and updates
As he warmly welcomed the
incoming students of UPV,
Chancellor Glenn Aguilar
reminded his constituency of UP’s
100 th year in 2008 and urged
everyone’s participation. “This
comes only once in a lifetime and
we are starting the celebration as
early as this year by focusing on
launching projects, planning and
conducting homecomings and
other activities related to the
centennial.”
The Chancellor also talked
about the UP Charter. Drafted in
1908 (the same year that the
University was founded), it has
never been revised to adapt to
contemporary times. For 14 years
now, the UP administration has
been working for its revision. The
ratification of the new Charter has
been derailed twice. The first was
in 2003 when it was overtaken by
the Jose Pidal case in the Senate.
It was shelved again this year for
lack of quorum at the House of
Representatives. This meant that
UP would have to go through the
same long and tedious process of
getting the Bill passed when the
new Congress opens in July this
year.
The version that was passed by
the Senate and the Bicameral
Committee included, among other
things, the declaration of UP as
the National University,
exemption from the Salary
Standardization Law, and a taxfree
status.
At the end of his speech, Dr.
Aguilar declared Academic Year
2007-2008 open. (Lyncen
Fernandez; IPO)
Kamusta Ka ... from page 2
Alumni Association’s show of
excitement over Alumni-
Chapters abroad, while the
newly organized local
chapters have not been given
any support. The Cebu
participants wished that such
issues reach UPAA through
the UPV Office of Alumni
Relations. UPV Cebu Dean
Enrique Avila and Alumni
Coordinator, Prof. Mark
Mende attended the gathering.
Tacloban Alumni bare long
list of activities for
centennial
The alumni of UP based in
Tacloban trooped to attend
the meeting organized by
UPVTC Alumni Coordinator
Dr. Marietta Sumagaysay on
May 3 at the Tacloban
campus.
The self-introduction of
each alumnus/alumna set a
jovial tone for the meeting,
with each one carefully
PARTICIPANTS of the LRC Bridge Program
LRC Orients Bridge
Program Participants
The Learning Resource Center
(LRC) held the 2007 Bridge
Program Orientation on June 1,
2007 at 9:00 a.m. at the Audio-
Visual Room of the Interactive
Learning Center (ILC) in U.P. in
the Visayas, Miagao, Iloilo. A
total of 119 participants and 16
parents attended the said
orientation.
Dr. Liah Catedrilla, LRC
Director, welcomed the
participants, parents, and guests.
She also discussed what the
Bridge Program is all about and
presented the programs and
services being offered by the
Learning Resource Center. She
encouraged the participants to
avail themselves of these services
that can help them in their
academic journey in the
University.
Dr. Diana Aure, Vice-
Chancellor for Academic Affairs,
gave a special message while Prof.
Rosela Zaragoza, College
Secretary of the College of Arts
and Sciences (CAS), delivered an
inspirational speech as a faculty
tutor of Bridge English.
Mr. Flord Nicson Calawag, a
fourth year Bachelor of Science in
Fisheries student and an active
member of the College of
Fisheries and Ocean Sciences-
University Student Council
(CFOS-USC), shared with the
incoming freshmen his
experiences as a Bridge
participant. He was glad to attend
the Math 11 Bridge classes
because of relevant exercises and
assignments that helped him in
that subject. He compared U.P. in
the Visayas to the Big Brother
House and considered himself as
one of the housemates. He was
remembering his/her respective
student number. Mr. George
Tiopes, current UPAA
Tacloban President, bared
plans that included the
following: enhancingalumni
membership; putting up of
alumni sub-chapters; and
launching of Tacloban’s
centennial activities. It was
also bared during the meeting
that UPVTC will be
celebrating its Jade
Anniversary simultaneous
with the UP Centennial
Celebration. In line with this,
Dr. Sumagaysay presented a
power point presentation of
the proposed alumni activities
for the Centennial Celebration
of the University that
included the History
Memorabilia Project and the
Jade Anniversary Fund
Campaign.
Part of the plans for the
History Memorabilia Project
is the production of
following:
challenged by the tasks given by
the professors, which included
projects, reports, assignments, and
exams. He believes that “every
hardship or problem given to us
is meant to mold us into a better
and mature person.”
As a component of the LRC’s
Learning Assistance and
Enrichment Program, the Bridge
Program aims to bridge the gap
between incoming freshmen’s
high school exit and college
entrance skills. The students who
participate in the Program are
selected based on their UPCAT
scores in English Proficiency,
Reading Comprehension, and
Mathematics.
The LRC first implemented the
Program in 1997 with a six-week
or 48-hour sessions/classes for
incoming freshmen, which were
conducted before the regular
school year started. However,
due to budget constraints,
modifications in program
implementation in the Miagao
and Iloilo City campuses were
made beginning in 2004. The
Program was expanded to
integrate BP English and BP
Math in the regular first
semester offerings of
Communication 1 and Math 11,
respectively. These courses,
therefore, require six hours
every week instead of the three
hours per week under the
regular program. This school
year, RGEP English 2 is offered
in lieu of Bridge English.
A total of 177 freshmen of the
Miagao and Iloilo City
campuses of UP in the Visayas
are participants of the program
for school year 2007-2008.
(Sharon Rose C. Galorport, LRC)
o publication of a book
(Tentative title: Pagsalinurog);
o UPVTC in interactive
mode;
o calendar featuring UPVTC
historical sights and events
(e.g. old buildings); and
o production and sale of
souvenir items.
The Jade Anniversary Fund
Campaign hopes to generate
resources for the College as it
turns 35 years old in 2008. It
will also forge linkages with
various publics. These are
intended to be used for
faculty and staff
development, scholarships,
improvement of facilities,
infrastructure development,
among others.
OAR Director Amy Tanoy,
Mr.Joseph Escaran, and Anna
Razel Ramirez composed the
team that visited Kalibo, Cebu,
and Tacloban.(Anna Razel L
Ramirez; IPO)

4
UPVCC Student Qualifies in Region 7’s TOSP
Chis Evert Lato, a fresh graduate
of the UPVCC Mass
Communication Program, was
chosen as one of the Ten
Outstanding Students of the
Philippines (TOSP) for Region 7,
paving the way for her possible
inclusion in the list of the Ten
Outstanding Students of the
Philippines for 2007.
The awarding ceremonies, which
was held at the Bamboo Hall of
Saint Paul University-Dumaguete
last April 14, culminated the threeday
selection process. Ms. Lato and
19 others students representing
various colleges and universities
across Region 7, went through
rigorous tests, interviews and
screening under the intense scrutiny
of the judges.
Among the judges were Dr. Ernie
Gamota of the Commission of
The Gender and Development
Program Core Committee, together
with the Ugsad Gender Resource
Center, held a Business Meeting and
accommodated members of the
CALABARZON GRC on June 21,
2007 at the Graduate and Continuing
Education Building of UP Visayas.
The gender group composed of
advocates from Cavite, Laguna,
Batangas, Rizal and Quezon was
presented by Ms. Winnie Masinsin
of the University of Rizal System.
They visited the Ugsad GRC to learn
about the experiences of people
involved in gender advocacy
programs in the Visayas.
Dr. Rosario Asong, one of the
pillars of present-day gender
advocacy in the region and soon to
be Director of the Gender and
Development Program Office of UP
Visayas, relayed how gender
programs in the Visayas evolved.
She discussed the strategies
employed by the GDP that led to
the current set up of the Gender
Resource Center (GRC). These are
as follows:
· Institutional Development –
establishment of a resource center;
· Capability Building –
undertaking various training;
· Material Resource
Development – Production of
customized training packages and
collection of reading and training
materials; and
· Linkage Development –
establishment of links between and
among gender advocates, trainers and
researchers within and across the
region.
The Western Visayas GRC was
organized and termed Ugsad –
meaning full moon – and signifies the
peak of women’s struggles for the
attainment of a gender-fair society. It
was created with a vision to be “a
gender-responsive region where
women, men and children equally
participate in development efforts and
equitably share development
resources, opportunities, and
benefits.”
Ugsad’s mission is to become “a
coordinating body of all efforts and
resources in providing genderresponsive
services and facilitating
gender mainstreaming in national
government agencies, nongovernment
organizations, local
government units, academic
institutions, and other entities.”
Ugsad is now a strong network of
Public Organizations, Non-Government
Organizations, Government Agencies,
Private Agencies and Local
Government Units that pursue capability
building in gender planning, gender
monitoring and evaluation, and genderrelated
policy information. It also
facilitates mainstreaming and ensures
the sustainability of GAD programs and
projects in Region VI among its partner
agencies.
Several best practices of UGSAD
Member Agencies were also
presented during the meeting.
Higher Education, Ms. Glynda
Descuatan, an outstanding member
of the Dumaguete media, and Dr.
Billy Jaca, TOSP-Visayas Chair and
Chairman of the Board of Judges.
Joining Ms. Lato were Richard
Caluyo of Saint Paul University-
Dumaguete, Mark Claudio Pahati
and Yurry Jose Sesican of the
University of San Jose Recoletos,
Rafaeliza Pelletero and Joveton
Oracoy of the Cebu Institute of
Technology, Abegail Carmie
Luardo of Silliman University, Mart
Andrews Maravillas and Ana
Theresa Singcol of San Carlos
University, and Mary Grace Luna
of Cebu Normal University.
The TOSP dates back to June 19,
1961, when businessman Jose
Concepcion Jr., publisher of Student
Life Magazine, launched an annual
recognition of the country’s
Sr. Nancy Surmieda shared the
initiatives of the WVSU GAD’s that
included putting up of the University
Drop-In Center to attend to the childminding
needs of faculty and staff and
WVSU – Hospital personnel;
organization of the Adolescent
Reproductive Health Counselors; and
Gender mainstreaming in the
Curriculum that offered specific
gender courses/subjects:
a. Sociology of Gender in the Ph.
D. Level;
b. Gender Issues and Concerns in
Philippine Society in the M.A;
and
c. Gender Relations in the
undergraduate level.
Ms. Angie Tanongtanong of the
Commission of Population discussed
the Population “Counseling on Air for
Adolescent and Youth.” Dubbed as
“Tingog Sang Pamatan-on sa Hutik
sa Kagab-ihon” (Voice of Youth in
Night Time Whisper), the program
focuses on the goal of reducing the
incidence of teenage pregnancy, early
marriage, and other youth
reproductive health problems in the
region. Trained youth leaders on peer
counseling and leadership were
anchor persons of the radio show that
has received nominations from
various award – giving bodies locally
and abroad as an Adolescent Health
and Youth Development Program.
Ms. Cynthia Lumampao of the
National Economic Development
Agency shared about NEDA’s effort
in gender mainstreaming especially in
the integration of Gender programs in
the Western Visayas Regional
Development Plan for 2004-2010.
NEDA has also conducted a study on
Western Visayas Regional Gender
Situationer.
Most noteworthy of these best
practices, however, was that of the
Kabataang Gabay sa Positibong
Pamumuhay (KGPP), Inc. (Association
of Child Advocates and Children and
Youth Who Rise Above Poverty, Abuse,
Violence and Exploitation). Presented
by its founder, Mr. John Piermont
Montilla – a former street child himself
from Bacolod, Gabay was awarded as
one of the outstanding youth
outstanding students. It was held
annually until the declaration of
Martial Law in 1972.It was relaunched
in 1989.
The TOSP is a project of the
RFM Foundation, CHED, RFM
Corporation, in cooperation with
National Bookstore, the Rotary
Club, and the TOSP Alumni.
Recently, Ms. Lato was one of
the representatives of the
Philippines to the East Asian Seas
Youth Forum, Haikou City, Hainan
Province, People’s Republic China
held last December 11-15, 2006.
She is a consistent University/
College Scholar and graduated cum
laude last April.
Another UPVCC Mass
Communication student, Arrah
Camillia Quistadio, also made it as
a finalist in the provincial TOSP
search held in Cebu City. She also
graduated cum laude.(Source:
UPVCC)
GDP Orients CALABARZON Group
about Gender Practices in Region VI
organizations in the country in 2003
during the 1st National Search for Ten
Accomplished Youth Organizations
(TAYO) and was recognized as the
“best practice” project in 2004 by the
International Youth Foundation. It
became a youth – led NGO in 2003
recognized by CHED and DSWD and
exempted from tax by BIR.
This high-risk-related NGO is
currently involved in the following
programs:
· Child Labor program for children
in the sugarcane farming industry
· Educational sponsorships for street
children
· Prevention for At-Risk and
Vulnerable Children and Youth in
Identified Areas of Highest Risk in
Western Visayas- UNICEF and
UNODC
· Treatment, Care and Support for
People Living with HIV and AIDS
· HIV Research
Recipients of their services are
street and urban working children,
prostituted women and persons living
with HIV/Aids. Through Gabay’s
efforts, the following were realized,
among others:
· 56 children in the sugar cane
farming industry have been
transitioned to formal education with
families availing themselves of
livelihood activities
· 60 most-at-risk children and
youth have been removed from drug
abuse and trafficking
· 10 casa (Brothels) implement
100% condom use
· Three social hygiene clinics
receive children clients for STDscreening
and install case
management and databank for
MARCY populations
· One AIDS council has been
reconstituted; three Executive Orders
adopting Unite for Children Technical
Working Groups; one Memorandum
of Agreement with one LGU (Jordan
Guimaras); one MOA with the West
Visayas State University Referral; and
12 Barangay Development Plans
integrating STI and HIV and AIDS
Concerns of children and youth.
(Anna Razel L Ramirez; IPO)
PIERMONT MONTILLA, founder of GABAY, orients visitors about
its advocacy programs.
Harvesting the fruits of labor
invested in the campaign for
“Libro Para sa Iskolar ng
Bayan,” the Office of Alumni
Relations hosted a ceremony for
the turnover of the donated
books on April 30, 2007 at the
UPV Art Gallery of the Iloilo City
campus.
Speaking in behalf of the
donors, Mr. Winston Santos,
President of the UP Vanguard
Inc., Panay-Negros Chapter,
stressed that these books “should
not be relegated as adornment and
should instead be used, as
knowledge taken from these
books are strong foundation for
man to grow and mature. As
donors, we believe in books as
great tools for attaining success.”
Chancellor Aguilar welcomed
the donation and thanked the
donors as he bared the plans of
UPV in line with the Centennial
Celebration of the University of
the Philippines. Prof. Amy Tanoy
spoke of the project of the OAR
and gratefully acknowledged the
donors. She also read the letter of
Dr. Carmencita Fulgado who
declared that she will adopt the
Balay-balay Child Minding Center.
The book donors are the
following with the corresponding
number of book donations and titles:
The Center for West Visayan
Studies, in coordination with the
Language Program Office, recently
conducted a historico-cultural tour
of Miagao. The activity was
participated in by 16 Korean
students of Kangnung National
University. They were at UP Visayas
from January 9-February 4, 2007 as
part of the English Language
Enhancement Program (ELSEP-
KNU) supervised by the LPO. The
cultural trip to Miagao was aimed
at exposing them to the rich cultural
heritage of Iloilo.
With Randy Madrid, University
Research Associate of the Center,
as their guide and lecturer, KNU
students visited the World Heritage
Miagao Church, where they had a
chance to witness a typical Filipino
Catholic wedding. At the hablon
weaving center in Barangay Indagan,
they had a hands-on experience
on how to operate a traditional loom
machine. They were also delighted
in crossing the hanging bridge in
Barangay Cagbang, where they met
local potters who artistically
demonstrated to them the pottery
craft. They enjoyed that historic
encounter with local craftsmen
because they could relate them with
their ceramic makers in South
Korea. The rest of the day was spent
touring the UPV campus where they
personally met Vice Chancellors
Crispino Saclauso and Diana Aure,
who welcomed them to the
University in behalf of the
Chancellor who was in Manila. At
the CAS Dean’s Office, they were
warmly welcomed by the CAS
Dean’s staff led by Ms. Miriam
Estenor. Dean Ebonia Seraspe was
not present during the visit because
of an earlier commitment.
On March 7, 2007, CWVS again
supervised another historicocultural
tour in Miagao, this time
with 19 ecotourism students of
Camiguin Polytechnic College
JUNE 2007
BOOK DONORS stand side by side with the UPV officials led by
Chancellor Glenn Aguilar (4th from left), Vice-Chancellor Ma.
Luisa Mabunay (2nd from left), OAR Director Amy Tanoy, (5th
from left) Vice-Chancellor May Pison (7th from left), Vice-
Chancellor Diana Aure (8th from left) and Ms. Teresita Ledesma,
University Librarian, (2nd from right).
OAR Receives Book Donations
1. AAPM through its
representative coordinator, Prof.
Alice Prieto-42 books;
2. Ms. Lita S. Velmonte, AB’53-
4 books;
3. Prof. Dolores Jardeleza-31
books;
4. UPV College of Arts and
Sciences Student Council (UPV
CAS-SC) 2006-2007 through Ms.
Millicent Joyce Soteo-9 books;
5. UP High School Class of 1982
through Prof. Charmaine Malata-19
books;
6. UP Alumni Association Aklan
Chapter through its President, Dr.
Sonia Seville-71 books;
7. UP Vanguard Inc., Panay-
Negros Chapter through its Chapter
Commander, Mr. Winston Santos-
24 volumes of Collier’s
Encyclopedia;
8. UPV Katilingban ng mga
Aktibong Kabataan Para Sa Bayan
(UPV KAAKBAY)-25 books;
9. UP Alumni Association New
York through its President, Dr.
Carmencita Fulgado-56 books, art
materials, clothes and toys.
“Libro Para Sa Iskolar ng Bayan”
was launched in 2006. It was aimed
at increasing the existing library
collection by asking from generous
alumni here and abroad for books
with copyright dates from 2000-
2005. (Anna Razel L. Ramirez, IPO)
CWVS Supervises Historico-
Cultural Tours for Koreans
under the supervision of Prof.
Rosalie Zerrudo. They came to visit
Miagao not only to witness the
UNESCO World Heritage Church
and view the surviving hablon
weaving but also to have a one-onone
interaction with a community
tour assistance group, which
Miagao is noted for. The group,
which was formed in 2001, is
collectively known as the Miagao
Tour Assistance Group (MTAG),
and is composed of locally trained
tour guides, mostly young
professionals, teachers, students,
and culture buffs who do the tour
guiding craft in a volunteer and oncall
basis. The group is now headed
by the hardworking Municipal
Tourism Officer of Miagao—Mr.
Edison Molanida.
The student visitors from
Camiguin also had a sharing
interaction on the nature of
university-based tour guiding with
UPV student tour-guides. The
event was facilitated through the
effort of the UPV-Information and
Publication Office under Prof.
Mary Oveta Villareal. One of the
IPO staff, Lyncen Fernandez, gave
the overview and a short history of
the student tour guiding at UPV.
The rest of the tour was spent in
viewing the artifacts at the UPV
Museum of Natural Sciences and
a visit to various Colleges and units
at UPV Miagao campus.
The CWVS-organized historicocultural
tours strongly forged
collaborative action among offices
at UPV and galvanized cooperation
and mutual understanding between
the University, the LGU, and even
the NGOs and artist groups/local
craftsmen in cultural heritage
advocacies and tourism
promotions in the region. (Randy
M. Madrid, CWVS, with reports
from Maria Regina Madrid-
Montevirgen, Language Program
Office)