News & Announcements

📣 The UP Office of Alumni Relations is now on social media!

To get the latest updates on the University and Alumni events, programs, and opportunities for engagements and donations, follow us on our social media accounts:

Facebook: @official.upoar
Instagram: @official.upoar
Twitter: @official_upoar

#connectingUPalumni

Mr. Carlson Alelis



A groundbreaking ceremony for the repair of two heritage structures inside the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV), Iloilo City campus – the Old High School and Woman’s Club buildings – through the Hadumanan Project is slated on June 5, 2023.

The said buildings will be repurposed into an events area for arts and culture exhibits (galleries, merchandize products) and joint shop.

The ceremony at the UPV Little Theatre will be attended by prominent public servants who are also UP High School in Iloilo (UPHSI) alumni, namely former Sen. Franklin Drilon, retired Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza, and Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor, Jr. Both Drilon and Jardeleza are instrumental to the realization of the project.

Chancellor Clement Camposano will give the background of the project. Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas is also scheduled to attend the ceremony.

The Old High School Building currently needs to address non-compliance with the Philippine Fire Code (Republic Act 9514), flooding in the surrounding area, and lack of rehabilitation of its drainage system and pathways.

The Woman’s Club Building, on the other hand, has issues with non-compliance with RA 9514 and the Accessibility Law (BP 344); flooding in the surrounding area, lack of rehabilitation of its drainage system and pathways; and lack of proper easement between the building and the UPHSI Multi-purpose Building.

The fund source for the repair of the two buildings will come from the General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2022, prioritized by Drilon during his last term as senator.

Meanwhile, the fund source for the assessment is from Jardeleza, the UPHSI class of 1965, and the GAA 2021 for the creation of UPV’s Land Use Development and Infrastructure Plan (LUDIP), handled by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development (OVCPD).

In one of her presentations, Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Rhodella Ibabao said the Old High School Building served as a structure that was utilized by UPHSI in the early days of UP in Iloilo, while the Woman’s Club Building was the first of its kind in an Iloilo-based school by pioneering UPV’s initiatives towards women’s rights.

At present, the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) holds office at the Old High School Building, while the Health Services Unit (HSU) previously occupied the Woman’s Club Building before transferring to the newly-constructed Administration Building, Iloilo City campus.

The adaptive reuse of the two buildings ensures that they become relevant to the times, especially to the needs of the University. (With sources from OVCPD)

Source: https://www.upv.edu.ph/index.php/news/groundbreaking-for-repair-of-2-upv-heritage-structures-slated-june-5

By: Jethro Bryan Andrada, Justine Rhys Lawrence Martirez – @inquirerdotnet



BAGUIO CITY – Three campuses of the University of the Philippines (UP) joined the growing clamor for the safe return of missing indigenous peoples’ rights activists Dexter Capuyan and Gene Roz Jamil “Bazoo” de Jesus, who went missing on April 28 in Taytay, Rizal.

Capuyan, 56, and De Jesus, 27, both former students of UP Baguio, were allegedly abducted by men who introduced themselves as operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), according to witnesses.

But CIDG had previously denied any involvement in the incident.

“We urge all government and concerned agencies, specifically those that have already been approached by the families of Bazoo and Dexter, to exhaust all means and resources to fully address their disappearance,” UP Baguio said in a statement on Wednesday.

De Jesus graduated cum laude when he earned his communication degree in 2016, while Capuyan was a former editor in chief of Outcrop, UP Baguio’s official student publication.

Human rights advocates believe that the two are in government custody, noting that the police and military accused Capuyan of being a ranking officer of the Chadli Molintas Command of the New People’s Army operating in the Ilocos and Cordillera regions and having a P1.85-million bounty on his head.

In separate statements on Tuesday, UP Cebu and UP Visayas likened the disappearance of Capuyan and De Jesus to the abduction of activists and UP Cebu alumni Dyan Gumanao and Armand Dayoha in Cebu City in January. Gumanao and Dayoha were later found after their captors abandoned them in Carmen, Cebu.

“A society is never truly free if its activists and critics are subjected to constant harassment and must fear for their safety,” the statement from UP Visayas read.
‘Pattern of injustice’

“We call on our partners from all relevant agencies of government to help end this pattern of injustice…,” it added.

UP Cebu Chancellor Leo Malagar described the pattern of harassment of activists as “unsettling.”

“Enforced disappearances achieve nothing more than the erosion of the fabric of a democratic society. Silencing critics doesn’t support the aims of mainstream society; it only weakens our democracy,” Malagar said in a statement.

Since Capuyan and De Jesus’ disappearance, a series of protests in Baguio and in the Philippine National Police Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City, on May 15 were staged by their families and supporters to demand their release.

A prayer vigil and a solidarity gathering were also held at UP Baguio on Tuesday.

At the UP Baguio vigil, De Jesus’ mother, Mercedita, said: “Losing a child is not a joke. So, I hope the people who abducted them feel the lament of a mother and a child, that is Gabrielle (Capuyan’s daughter).”

Source: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1774667/3-up-campuses-join-clamor-to-surface-missing-activists

Press Release by UP Mindanao PRO

The University of the Philippines Mindanao (UPMin) is poised to devise a stronger response to effective management of existing diseases and emerging health threats in Mindanao as a newly-appointed regional hub of the UP Resilience Institute, UP’s center for comprehensive disaster risk reduction and management.

Biomathematics expert Prof. May Anne Mata said establishing a disease watch and analytics unit in UPMin aims to harness this UP constituent university’s expertise in mathematical modeling, data analytics, and genomics to address public health concerns.

UP’s Board of Regents recently approved in its 1378th Meeting the establishment of UPMin’s Center for Disease Watch & Analytics (DiWA) as a regional unit of the UP Resilience Institute.

In her letter to UP President Danilo Concepcion and UP Resilience Insitute Director Mahar Lagmay, Prof. Mata said, “Mindanao has experienced long-standing neglect, slow economic development, and poverty due to political conflicts. With this context, a resilient public health program is a challenge.

Mindanao needs a hub or satellite for health resiliency, and establishing UP Mindanao’s Center for Disease Watch & Analytics (DiWA Center) is essential to maintaining our active partnership with Local Government Units and local agencies for public health and disease management.

By being a satellite and hub of the UP Resilience Institute, UPMin’s DiWA Center can sustain and expand the scope of its research initiatives and technical services to its stakeholders in public health governance. This is through knowledge generation, sharing, services, and technological innovation. Its ultimate goal is to build health-resilient communities in the entire Mindanao.”

The DiWA Center began as the DOST-NICER Center for Applied Modeling, Data Analytics, and Bioinformatics for Decision Support Systems in Health (AMDABiDSS-Health), which focused on generating solutions to strengthen the local responses to COVID-19.

The center developed the Disease Watch & Analytics (DiWA) app, an online planning tool for pandemic management. The DiWA app featured dashboards for risk management, vulnerability scoring index tools, risk maps, and molecular community trackers. The DiWA app proved its merit by assisting several Mindanao regions in their campaign against the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Department of Health’s (DOH) regional officers have expressed their desire for UPMin’s continuing technical assistance,” said Prof. Mata.

DOH-XI Regional Director Annabelle Yumang signed an agreement with UP for the use of the DiWA app on November 28, 2022.

DiWA Center’s programs address the sustainable goals of good health and well-being, sanitation, fostering innovation, building sustainable communities, poverty alleviation, and partnerships for the goals.

Meanwhile, UPMin has developed new degree programs related to public health, such as Data Science, Sports, and Human Movement Science. In addition, it has continuing research in health communication and a prospective medical education program.

Download the Madayaw May 2023 issue

More photos at UP Baguio Facebook

The air in Teatro Amianan was thick with excitement and nostalgia as the UP Baguio Alumni eagerly gathered for their highly anticipated 2023 homecoming event. The proceedings were initiated by the President of the UP Alumni Association Baguio-Northern Luzon Chapter, Lilia Bautista, who called the meeting to order. This was followed by a solemn Invocation and the singing of the Pambansang Awit, which further ignited the passion and pride of the alumni. To track attendance, the program initiated batch recognition for each decade spanning from the 1950s to the 2010s.

Chancellor Corazon Abansi extended a warm welcome to the alumni and provided updates on the new programs and initiatives of the university. She emphasized the alumni association’s importance as a significant partner in UPB’s journey towards becoming a leading university in the North. President Lilia Bautista also delivered a comprehensive report, highlighting the achievements of the alumni association in the past years.

Judge Isagani Calderon took the stage to present the functions and organizational goals of the alumni association, providing a guide for members on how they could contribute to the university’s advancement. The day culminated with the nomination and election of new board members and officers for the UPAA Baguio – Northern Luzon Chapter, which was administered by Atty. Nimreh Calde. It was a day of camaraderie, friendship, and reminiscing as the alumni bonded over their shared experiences and commitment to their alma mater. The event was a resounding success and left everyone feeling inspired and reconnected.

Source: University of the Philippines Baguio Facebook

Mr. Carlson Alelis



The University of the Philippines (UP) Tacloban is now an autonomous unit under the UP Office of the President after the approval by the Board of Regents (BOR) during its 1380th Meeting dated April 27, 2023.

With the elevation, UP Tacloban now inches closer to being a full-fledged Constituent Unit (CU) of the UP System. It will be formally known as UP Tacloban College and will no longer be a regional unit of UP Visayas.

To recall, former UP President Edgardo Angara issued, in 1983, Executive Order No. 4 on the reorganization of the University into a System of autonomous units, including a UP in the Visayas composed of UP Iloilo College, UP Cebu College, UP Tacloban College, and the College of Fisheries. The said units were integrated into UPV in January 1986.

UP Tacloban’s elevation as an autonomous unit is seen to enable it and UP as a whole to better fulfill its mandate to develop appropriate academic and public service programs that address the learning poverty and unique development challenges of Eastern Visayas.

It is a priority in the strategic plan of the University under the current administration of UP President Angelo Jimenez.

As for student population, records show that UP Tacloban has seen a gradual increase in enrollees through the years. For the Academic Year 2022-2023, a total of 1,565 students are enrolled in the College’s nine undergraduate and two undergraduate programs across four academic divisions.

The College is known for its programs in Accountancy, Biology, Computer Science, Management, and Psychology. Its elevation coincides with its 50th founding anniversary this May 23. (With sources from Office of the Staff Regent)

Source: https://www.upv.edu.ph/index.php/news/up-tacloban-gains-autonomous-status-after-bor-approval

Padayon, UP Tacloban!

In its 1380th meeting on 27 April 2023, the UP Board of Regents approved the elevation of the UP Visayas Tacloban College—previously one of the campuses of UP Visayas—to an autonomous unit of the University under the Office of the President.

Source: University of the Philippines Facebook