Article by: Azer Parrocha
MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Maria Belen Acosta as chairperson of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDa), Malacañang confirmed on Wednesday.
Acosta, who resigned as Davao City councilor on Tuesday, will serve a term of six years. She replaces Emmanuel Piñol who resigned in October to seek a Senate seat in the May 9 polls.
“The Palace confirms that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signed on Jan. 6, 2022, the appointment of Maria Belen Sunga Acosta as chairperson of Mindanao Development Authority for a term of six years,” acting Presidential Spokesperson, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, said in a press statement.
Nograles said the Palace wished her good luck in her new post.
“We wish Chairperson Acosta all the best in her new assignment, and are confident that she will continue the initiatives her predecessors pursued to accelerate the socioeconomic growth of Mindanao,” he added.
Acosta will serve as the eighth MinDa chairperson and the second Mindanaoan female leader to head the agency. The first was Luwalhati Antonino from 2010 to 2016.
As chairperson, MinDA said she would lead in coordinating, harmonizing, and integrating various socioeconomic development efforts for Mindanao with inter-regional, Mindanao-wide, and sub-regional impacts.
Acosta will also act as the Philippine Signing Minister leading the participation of Mindanao and Palawan as the country’s East Asean Growth Area (EAGA) focus areas in the Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines (BIMP) sub-regional cooperation, given MinDA’s mandate as the permanent Philippine Coordinating Office for BIMP-EAGA (PCOBE) under Republic Act 9996 or the Mindanao Development Act of 2010.
Before her appointment, Acosta served the Davao City Council for 18 years in 2001-2010 and 2013-2021.
In 2010, Acosta ran as representative of the city’s first district but was defeated by Nograles.
Acosta obtained her Masters in Management, major in Development Management from the University of the Philippines – Mindanao.
She was awarded as one of the Ten Most Outstanding Councilors of the Philippines in 2009, and is Career Executive Service Eligible. (PNA)
Source: https://www.gobyerno.com/article/davao-city-councilor-named-new-mindanao-devt-authority-chief.html
Alumni Milestones
Diokno is 2022 global central banker
Bino C. Gamba – Diliman Information Office
Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) governor Benjamin E. Diokno was named global central banker of the year by “The Banker,” an international monthly banking, finance, and business magazine and online portal affiliated with the “Financial Times.”
Diokno, UP Diliman’s professor emeritus in economics, was recognized for “his efforts to help stimulate economic recovery and growth for the Philippines amid the COVID-19 crisis,” according to the Jan. 5 BSP article (https://www.bsp.gov.ph/).
The award — a first for the Philippines — celebrates officials who have best managed the growth and stability of their economies.
Diokno was also cited for pushing ahead with his modernization of the country’s banking system.
According to the same BSP article, Diokno said, “I am truly honored to be named The Banker’s global central banker of the year. This award recognizes the effort we at the BSP have put forth over this past year—amid extraordinary challenges.”
Diokno was likewise named Asia-Pacific central banker of the year 2022.
Diokno taught public sector economics, microeconomics, macroeconomics and special topics at the UP School of Economics for over 40 years. His research encompasses various aspects of public economics such as tax policies and reforms, public expenditure, fiscal decentralization, national budget, and public debt.
He served as adviser and consultant to the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Commission, and the USAID for work in the Philippines, China, and transitioning economies like Vietnam, Cambodia, and Mongolia. Diokno was secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (1998-2001; 2016-2019).
Diokno earned his bachelor’s degree in public administration (1968), master’s in public administration (1970), and master of arts in economics (1974) from UP. In 1976, he earned his master of arts in political economy from John Hopkins University in the United States. He later earned his PhD (economics) from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University in New York in 1981. Diokno was also conferred by UP with a doctor of laws, honoris causa, in 2017.
Source: https://upd.edu.ph/diokno-is-2022-global-central-banker/
FEd Faculty Wins the Student Research Competition of the Pacifichem Congress 2021
Assistant Professor Charisse T. Reyes, a regular faculty (on study leave) at the UPOU Faculty of Education and currently a third year PhD student at the School of Chemistry, Monash University, participated in 2021 International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies, Pacifichem Congress 2021, conducted in Hawai’i, USA. This event was held both virtually and face to face on 16-20 December 2021, primarily hosted by The Chemical Society of Japan (CSJ) with the representatives from the seven joint sponsors of the event.
Pacifichem was founded in 1984 and this year’s congress is the eighth in the series of successful co-sponsored scientific conferences of Pacific Basin Chemical Societies. The main theme of the Pacifichem Congress 2021 is “A Creative Vision for the Future” with two subthemes that are incorporated into the forward-looking conference: Core Chemistry and Chemistry for Global Challenges. This event aimed to create an active forum and a productive platform that will lead to discussion and opportunities for international collaboration.
Asst. Prof. Reyes won under the Chemical Education and Communication topic of the Student Research Competition. The title of her paper is “Enhancing accessibility in first-year chemistry digital learning environment through the universal design for learning framework,” which she was able to produce as part of her PhD work in Monash University. The winners of the Student Research Competition were chosen from over 1,400 Undergraduate and Graduate student submissions in each of the fifteen (15) Pacifichem Congress topic areas. These winners were judged on their 2-minute recorded presentation based on the quality of science and presentation.
Asst. Prof. Reyes is a licensed chemist and a member of the Integrated Chemists of the Philippines (ICP). In FEd, she teaches courses in chemistry and science education. Her research interests’ include innovations on pedagogical practices in chemistry education, specifically, enhancing teaching and learning chemistry through technology and learning analytics. Her research advocates also include the efficient use of open educational resources for teaching and learning in science education. While pursuing these research interests in science education, Asst. Prof. Reyes also keeps on enriching her chemistry research by actively participating in innovative works and studies on nanotechnology with the use of smart biomaterials.
FEd proudly congratulates Asst. Prof. Reyes for winning in Pacifichem Congress 2021!
Source: https://www.upou.edu.ph/news/fed-faculty-wins-the-student-research-competition-of-the-pacifichem-congress-2021/
With great knowledge of bats comes great responsibility
by Josephine M. Bo
He probably knows bats more than the back of his hand. Afterall, straight out of college since 24 years ago, he has been studying them.
It is this knowledge that associate professor Phillip A. Alviola will take into the newly established Scientific Advisory Groups for the Origins on Novel Pathogens or SAGO of the World Health Organization (WHO).
SAGO is tasked to advise the WHO Secretariat on technical and scientific considerations regarding emerging and re-emerging pathogens.
It is composed of 28 experts of which Alviola is the lone bat ecologist.
The rest are experts in epidemiology, animal health, ecology, clinical medicine, virology, genomics, molecular epidemiology, molecular biology, biology, food safety, biosafety, biosecurity, and public health as the WHO website said.
“SAGO will create a global framework to guide the world on what to do to prevent and to preempt the emergence of pathogens, especially WHO-priority diseases with pandemic or epidemic potentials,” said Alviola.
Part of SAGO’s work, Alviola explained, is to look into the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. How the virus escaped from bats and caused this already two-year-old pandemic is still a subject of international debate.
Getting a seat in SAGO
Becoming part of SAGO was no mean feat.
Afterall, it is on this advisory group that a better understanding of COVID-19 and a more effective response to preempt future pandemics partly rests.
Alviola was one of 800 individuals from more than 100 countries around the world who applied for a seat in the advisory body after WHO issued a call for experts on Sept. 8, 2021.
Upon the proddings of partners from the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology, Alviola applied for a seat in SAGO.
His expertise on bats had come to the fore in the midst of the pandemic.
As the COVID-19 pandemic raged on, he had been tapped in lecture circuits in UPLB and in the country by people desperate to know how things came to pass and how bats have something to do with the scourge.
Bats are known reservoirs of coronaviruses, which could include SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Alviola has contributed much to the body of knowledge through long years of research on the subject, many of which had been published in highly regarded scientific journals.
His work had earned him the 2017 Outstanding Young Scientist Award of the National Academy of Science and Technology. He is also on the list of most cited scientists from the Philippines based on Google Scholar.
“Critical work at a critical time”
SAGO’s work, which WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described as “critical work at a critical time,” will not only provide a rigorous and standardized process for studying novel and re-emerging pathogens.
According to Ghebreyesus, it will also bring back the focus of the work “squarely back to science and not be infected by politics as it has SARS-CoV-2, causing a serious barrier to the scientific process of understanding where the virus came from.”
If you come to think of it, Alviola’s body of work has always been critical work at a critical time, focusing as he has on ecology, biodiversity, conservation, discovery and description of new animal species, and cave biology, among others, and all crucial to man’s continued existence.
The bulk of his contributions has gone toward increasing knowledge about bats and bat virology, potential zoonotic viruses, and pathogens of bats.
In fact, Alviola and his partners from Japanese universities are collaborating on developing a simulation model to predict the next bat-derived coronavirus infection in humans with samples gathered from as early as 2007.
His body of work reflects the urgent and critical need for science to find solutions to and avert problems created by what he said is the narrowing interface between men and animals.
During what is probably one of the darkest periods in our collective history, Alviola stepped up to contribute to the “critical work” that SAGO is now doing. This is a responsibility that was conferred on him by his knowledge of bats.
Source: https://horizon.uplb.edu.ph/uplb-features/with-great-knowledge-of-bats-comes-great-responsibility/
UPLB takes top 10 spots in CIE exam
Nine of the passers of the 11th Certified Industrial Engineering (CIE) Examination from UPLB landed in the top ten.
These are Franz Christian Velasco, 87.4%, 2nd place; Korine Carmela Gualberto, 83.9%, 3rd place; Aaron Perez, 83%, 4th place; Marc Kenneth Nofuente, 81.7%, 6th place; Christine Angela Matienzo and John Kenneth Punongbayan, 81.3%, 7th place; Jane Kimberly Sales, 80.9%, 8th place; and Nikko Trio and Tom Keizer Jambalos who both got 80% rating and tied for the 10th place.
The 11th CIE exam results were released by the Philippine Institute of Industrial Engineers (PIIE) on Dec. 16, 2021 through the Industrial Engineering Certification Board (IECB).
Two hundred sixty out of 309 examinees passed the online exam.
The CIE exam passers are now eligible to apply for the title of Associate ASEAN Engineer under the Philippine Technological Council, an umbrella organization of 13 professional engineering associations, which also administers the ASEAN Engineer Registry in the Philippines. (Kristel Hope Villafuerte)
Source: https://uplb.edu.ph/academic/uplb-takes-top-10-spots-in-cie-exam/
Former UP president named new MAP head
by Othel V. Campos
Alfredo “Fred” Espinosa Pascual was named the new president of the Management Association of the Philippines for 2022. Pascual is the 73rd president of the MAP since its inception in 1950.
A governance advocate, Pascual serves as the lead independent director at SM Investments Corp. He is also an ID at other publicly-listed companies, including Megawide Construction and Concepcion Industrial.
His board seats include nonprofits and other organizations, such as Institute of Corporate Directors, Institute for Solidarity in Asia, FINEX Academy, University of the Philippines Foundation, Philippine Council for Foreign Relations and US-Philippines Society. He led ICD as president and CEO in 2018 to 2019.
From 2011-2017, Pascual served as president and co-chair of UP—a system comprised of eight constituent universities with 17 campuses across the country.
He spearheaded ambitious reforms and innovative programs to transform UP into a research-intensive university, raise its international standing, and strengthen its public service capabilities.
He enabled UP to generate significant increases in financial resources from government budget allocations, private donations and income-generating projects. Extensive modernization and expansion of the campuses’ physical facilities, research laboratories, cyber-infrastructure and information systems became possible under his leadership.
Before becoming UP president, he was alumni regent on the UP board. He also served as trustee at International Rice Research Institute and Philippine Institute for Development Studies.
Prior to becoming an academic leader, he worked at Asian Development Bank for 19 years (1989-2008) in various positions, including director for private sector operations, director for project finance, advisor for public-private partnership and senior investment officer.
He authored a strategy that provided the framework for ADB’s efforts to promote the private sector as the engine of economic growth. He oversaw various infrastructure and financial sector projects in several Asian countries such as China, India, Vietnam, Pakistan, Philippines, Indonesia and Afghanistan.
He had postings at ADB’s resident offices in India and Indonesia. He represented ADB on the corporate boards of over a dozen investee companies (e.g., banks, funds, financial institutions, and manufacturing firms) in China, India and the Philippines.
Earlier on, Pascual took a management educator role in the 1980s as finance professor at the Asian Institute of Management. His duties at AIM included the directorship of the Advanced Bank Management Program.
At present, his other affiliations include being a member and past president of Rotary Club of Makati, honorary member of Philippine-American Association of Scientists and Engineers and president of the global Association of Former Employees of ADB.
He graduated from UP with an MBA and a BS Chemistry degree. UP and four other universities have conferred honorary doctorates on him. His other recent honors include the Philippine Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award, CEO Excel Award from IABC PH, Asia Circle of Excellence for Global Filipino Executives, UP Alumni Association Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award and Rotary Golden Wheel Award for Higher Education.
The other MAP officers for 2022 are Donald Lim, COO of DITO CME Holdings Inc. as vice president; Wilson Tan, chair and country managing partner of SGV & Co. as treasurer; Romy Bernardo, managing director of Lazaro Bernardo Tiu & Associates as assistant treasurer; Mann Hontiveros, managing director of CEO Advisors Inc. as secretary; and Alex Cabrera, chair emeritus and ESG Leader, Isla Lipana & Co./PwC Philippines as assistant secretary.
The other MAP governors are Cielito Habito, chair of Brain Trust Inc.; Chito Salazar, president of PHINMA Education Network; and Babes Singson, president and CEO of Metro Pacific Water.
Source: https://manilastandard.net/business/314022748/former-up-president-named-new-map-head.html
Max’s Group names Fermin as new president
Max’s Group Inc., the Philippines’ largest casual dining group, has recently named its former Group Chief Operating Officer and marketing veteran Ariel P. Fermin as its new president.
Fermin takes over from Roberto F. Trota and will now be in charge of the overall commercial and operational performance of MGI and its iconic brands which includes the flagship Max’s Restaurant, Pancake House, Yellow Cab Pizza Co., Krispy Kreme, Jamba Juice, Dencio’s, Teriyaki Boy, and Sizzlin’ Steak.
He will also be responsible for identifying opportunities for expansion, customers, markets, new industry developments, and standards; as well as executing and implementing corporate policies, programs, processes, and guidelines in line with the Group’s vision.
Fermin has spent over three decades steering some of the world’s most distinguished companies across a diverse range of industries, elevating world-class brands, re-imagining businesses, and driving revolutionary transformation.
He first spent over 20 years in the corporate world working in multinational firms, after which he assumed executive roles in flagship Filipino companies.
With a Chemical Engineering degree from the University of the Philippines, he started at Procter & Gamble as a management trainee and eventually rose to the role of R&D category head.
Fermin then moved on to Coca-Cola where he made a career shift to Marketing and helped the company open its doors to the production of non-carbonated beverages.
After this, he went on to become Sales & Marketing Director at Unilever Foods and was Nike’s Country General Manager—managing an entire company for the first time when he was just 37 years old.
Fermin later joined Jollibee Foods Corporation as President of Greenwich and Chowking, and the MVP Group of Companies as Executive Vice President and Head for Consumer Business at the height of its digital convergence.
Now at the helm of MGI, he said all these experiences are providing him the perspective and the edge to steer the company into a new order, especially with COVID-19 still very much altering the course of the industry.
“I firmly believe that our local brands and industries have what it takes to shine on the global stage,” said Fermin.
He added that, “I am excited by the opportunity to assume greater stewardship of MGI through its newest chapter using my experience and perspective to help the group navigate its most dramatic evolution yet, all the while continuing to work closely under the guidance, culture, and values of our founding families.” “MGI has demonstrated an unmatched resiliency and flexibility even as the COVID-19 crisis continues to alter the global food industry,”” said Trota.
He noted that, “Through it all, none of this would have been possible without the leadership of Ariel P. Fermin who has helped us accelerate three years of strategy into three quarters of execution throughout the pandemic, helping us define new sources of wealth, streamline our operations, and build newfound agility into our organization.” “We look forward to having him on board as our new President to continue supporting our efforts to future-proof the business,” said Trota.
Source: https://mb.com.ph/2021/12/12/maxs-group-names-fermin-as-new-president/
This Filipina receives highest honors distinction at Oxford University
A Filipino student received the highest honors distinction at the prestigious University of Oxford in the United Kingdom this December.
Ellaine Joy Calapao Sanidad received her recognition under the Master of Studies in Diplomatic Studies program at the university on December 2.
She is set to graduate with the Oxford degree and award on March 12, 2022.
The Facebook page of Immaculate Conception Academy, Sanidad’s alma mater, shared a Facebook post that lauded for her for this achievement.
In an interview with Interaksyon on December 6, Sanidad explained that in Filipino terms, distinction may be considered as a Summa Cum Laude standing.
To receive a distinction is also considered the “highest honors a graduate/postgraduate can achieve” in British communities.
This would also be her second master’s degree after finishing her MA in Speech Communication at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.
Sanidad, who is from Ilocos Norte, shared that she attributed this success to God, her family, friends, mentors and other people who helped her along the way.
“First of all, always the Almighty God. Next, my family, relatives, friends, teachers and mentors, former colleagues and bosses, people who always believed in me,” she said.
She also gave a shout out to herself.
“I have always been too hard on myself, and it was only recently that I learned how important it is to give myself a tap once in a while for being able to put up with the ever ambitious, difficult me,” she added.
A stellar student
Sanidad had always sought for excellence in school since she was a child. She looked up to her elder cousins and sister who were top students back then.
Prior to her Oxford degree, she also earned other noteworthy achievements.
In 2010, she graduated Magna Cum Laude at the University of the Philippines-Los Baños.
While she was taking up her first master’s degree, she taught in UPLB for around four years. Her rank also went from an instructor to an assistant professor.
In 2016, she started to pursue a bigger dream of studying abroad.
Scholarship journey
Sanidad recalled that after her teaching job, she worked with the National Coast Watch Center under the Office of the President.
It was during that time when she applied for the Chevening Scholarship, a UK-based scholarship offered to eligible developing countries.
Her first attempt, however, did not go well.
Despite this hurdle, Sanidad still remained steadfast with her goal. She turned her failure into a learning process of acquiring her scholarship from 2016 to 2019.
“Although I failed my first attempt for a scholarship abroad, I remained determined to apply again. My first attempt taught me a lot about the application process and what type of individuals successfully get such a prestigious scholarship,” she said.
Sanidad’s hard work started to pay off in 2020. She got the scholarship and was offered a place in Oxford.
“As I described it in one of my posts on IG, my application in Oxford was ‘suntok sa buwan’. I just tried applying there, but never really expected to be offered a place. So, imagine my joy when I received those two big news in 2020 — getting the Chevening scholarship, and offered a place in Oxford,” she said.
Pandemic woes
Sanidad recalled her first term in Oxford also happened to be the first year of the pandemic in 2020.
During this time, her father was also diagnosed with dementia.
While she was writing her dissertation, Sanidad’s parents contracted COVID-19. She also learned that a very close aunt and cousin of hers died.
These difficulties initially made her doubt herself if she should stay in the UK or return home to her family.
“It came to a point I asked my ambitious self why she needed to dream that big. Why she brought me into that, so far, toughest year of my life. I wanted and needed to be with my family so bad, but there was little to nothing I could do. So, I studied hard and aimed to finish my program quick, as if those could make that one year away from home shorter,” Sanidad told Interaksyon.
She was also challenged by homesickness which she described as “emotional torture.”
“I thought being in the UK for a year would only feel like my usual life working in Manila, only, not coming to visit home at all for a year. I underestimated the emotional torture brought by the physical distance between the UK and the Philippines,” Sanidad said.
What’s next?
Despite being thankful for her success in the UK, Sanidad admitted she is scared for the next stage of her life after graduation.
She said she has no plans yet if she would take up a doctorate degree.
For now, Sanidad plans to rest and spend time with her family.
“Coming back home, my priority were to rest, spend quality time with my family, and work on my physical recuperation before pursuing my next plans in life. My physical health suffered a lot from the many restless days in the university, barely sleeping and eating anything at all due to dealing with all kinds of pressure studying in Oxford,” she said.
Sanidad also said that she celebrated her Oxford distinction with her family, relatives and friends after she returned home to the Philippines.
“We had two thanksgiving parties: first was when I just arrived back from the UK; second, just last week, a day after I learned my final award, when my family threw me a surprise thanksgiving party after knowing about it themselves,” she said.
To those who are dreaming of studying in Oxford, Sanidad has one advic which is to give their best in every step of the process.
“Think of Oxford as just any other university abroad. Considering it as an unreachable university won’t help you get there. However, that doesn’t mean working less towards getting there. Learn to always give your best in every endeavor you take, because only with giving your best could you get the best reward,” the Filipina achiever concluded.
PH envoy named president of IMO Assembly
A Filipino envoy has been elected president of the 32nd International Maritime Organization (IMO) assembly. Antonio Manuel Lagdameo, Philippine Ambassador to the Court of St. James (United Kingdom), is the first Filipino to be elected head of the IMO assembly.
IMO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that sets global standards for the safety, security, and environmental performance of international shipping. Its main role is to create a regulatory framework for the shipping industry that is fair and effective, universally adopted, and universally implemented.
On the other hand, the IMO Assembly is its highest governing body. It is responsible for approving the work program and budget, determining financial arrangements, and electing the IMO Council. The Assembly consists of all Imo Member States and meets once every two years.
“On behalf of the Philippines delegation for the IMO General Assembly Meeting in the UK, our heartfelt congratulation to Amb. Antonio M. Lagdameo for his election as President of the IMO Assembly. What a great honor to be part of this historic feat! This assures that our voice in support to all seafarers especially the 800,000 Filipino Seafarers (Modern Heroes) worldwide will be heard,” said Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad, administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).
Lagdameo is a seasoned diplomat who has previously served as the Philippine Ambassador to the United Mexican States in 2007 and the Philippine Ambassador to Spain in 2008. He is now in his second tour of duty as the country’s envoy to the Court of St. James. Before joining the Philippine Foreign Service, Lagdameo served the Philippine government in various capacities, chief among them was his leadership of the Philippine Racing Commission from 1994 to 1998. As a staunch advocate and supporter of Philippine arts and culture, he spearheaded various programs and initiatives aimed at positioning the Philippines as a cultural superpower in London, and at using culture and the arts as building blocks to stronger Philippine-British relations.
The Ambassador graduated with a Pre-Med, Associate in Arts degree from the University of the Philippines in 1961 and after which proceeded to obtain a Bachelor of Arts Major in Accounting from the University of the East three years later.
He obtained his graduate degree in business administration from Ateneo de Manila University’s Graduate School of Business Administration in 1971.
November 2021 Agriculturist Licensure Examination UP topnotchers
LOOK: With 59 passers, UPLB is the top performing school in the November 2021 Agriculturist Licensure Examination, garnering a 100% passing rate.
Congratulations to all the newly licensed agriculturists!
#UPLBupdates
Source: UPLB Perspective