UP Stude Dies of Hazing

Statement on the Death of Cris Anthony Garcia Mendez

The University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) extends its condolences to the family of Cris Anthony Garcia Mendez, a fourth-year student of the National College of Public Administration and Governance, who passed away reportedly from fraternity hazing on August 27.

We wish to assure the Mendez family and the general public that the University is doing its best to ensure that those responsible for his death are made to face the bar of law.

UPD strongly condemns the use of violence as a prerequisite for admission into any organization. It firmly believes that the constitutional provision on the freedom of association ends when life is sacrificed for the fraternity values of barkada and pakikisama. Human life, as the ultimate cost in any rite of passage, is an utterly unacceptable price to pay for brotherhood: such distorted values have no place in an institution of higher learning like UP.

We sternly urge the officers, members and alumni of the concerned fraternity to extend their full support and cooperation to the University and the authorities to swiftly bring this case to its just and proper resolution.

Rules and regulations governing the conduct of student organizations have been in place and strictly enforced since 1976, way before the passage of Republic Act No. 8049, or the Anti-Hazing Law in 1995. Successive UPD administrations have added teeth to these measures to make them even more responsive to the dynamics of the current interaction among these student organizations.

Yet the culture of violence continues to exist. It has to stop.

We therefore appeal to the fraternities, particularly their alumni, to take the lead in transforming the culture of violence into more productive endeavors to benefit the University and society.

Signed:

Sergio S. Cao
Chancellor
UP Diliman
August 29, 2007

Be humble, hopeful, and proud’: 12 summa cum laude graduates lead Class of 2007

Be humble, hopeful, and proud’: 12 summa cum laude graduates lead Class of 2007
Arlyn VCD Romualdo



“Go with humility, and with hope, and with pride,” UP President Emerlinda R. Roman told almost 7,000 graduates of the Class of 2007. President Roman reminded them that as they leave the university, they will realize that there is still much to be learned in a “world that will give [them] no quarter, though [they] might be young and bright and full of promise.”

Twelve summa cum laude graduates, 153 magna cum laude graduates, and 913 cum laude graduates led this year’s batch. Of the 12 who graduated with top honors, eight came from UP Diliman (UPD): Mikaela Irene D. Fudolig (BS Physics) with a general weighted average (GWA) of 1.09; Ariel C. Lopez (BA History) with a GWA of 1.1; Deniece S. Yusun (BS Architecture) with a GWA of 1.13; Hannah Hazel Morales (BS Chemistry) with a GWA of 1.18; Lorraine Joyce N. Yu (BS Architecture) with a GWA of 1.18; Ma. Lourena M. Mangaban (BA Philosophy) with a GWA of 1.18; Magdalene Y. Lim (BS Business Administration) with a GWA of 1.18; and Ivan Chester G. Canoy (BS Biology) with a GWA of 1.19.

UP Los Baños (UPLB) had two summa cum laude graduates: Michael B. Gamalinda, who finished his BS Biology (major in Genetics) degree with a GWA of 1.14 and Carlos Juan Paolo I. Vega, who earned his BS Economics degree with a GWA of 1.17.

UP Manila (UPM) and UP Baguio (UPB) had one summa cum laude graduate each. Gerald Raimon Saranza received his BS Biology degree at UPM with a GWA of 1.17 while Jahzeel Abihail G. Cruz of UPB earned his BA Communication (Journalism) degree with a GWA of 1.15.

Of the magna cum laude graduates, 133 came from UPD, nine from UPLB, six from UP Visayas (UPV), and five from UPM. Of the cum laude graduates, 638 came from UPD, 118 from UPLB, 85 from UPM, 46 from UPV, 20 from UPB, and six from UP Mindanao (UPMin).

According to the UPD Office of the University Registrar, UPD, the biggest constituent university, had a total of 3,927 graduates, including those who earned their degrees at the Extension Programs in Olongapo and Pampanga. In addition, the Board of Regents also approved the graduation of 1,122 students in UPLB, 908 students in UPV, 658 students in UPM, 242 students in UPB, and 111 students in UPMin.

The following guests of honor graced the commencement exercises of the whole UP System: in UPD, Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea, president of the Mapua Institute of Technology and former dean of the UPD College of Engineering; in UPM, Prof. Ambeth Ocampo, concurrent chair of the National Historical Institute and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts; in UPLB, Department of Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap; in UPMin, Gawad Kalinga President Antonio Meloto; in UPV Iloilo, respected broadcast journalist Cecilia Lazaro; in UPV Tacloban, activist-lawyer Katrina Legarda; in UPV Cebu and UPB, National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera.

Grand concert kicks off countdown to UP’s centennial

(This article is reposted from http://www.upd.edu.ph/%7Eupdinfo/index1.html)

Isang Daan sa Isandaan, a star-studded musical extravaganza to be staged at the UP Theater at 7 p.m. on June 18, will formally open the University of the Philippines’ countdown to its centennial in 2008.

The show features UP alumni who have made names and blazed trails in the entertainment industry, among them singer-actress Nanette Inventor, OPM legend Ryan Cayabyab, actress-comedienne Candy Pangilinan, film-and-stage actress Harlene Bautista and singer Heber Bartolome. The presentation will also showcase the talents of internationally-acclaimed perfoming groups from the University of the Philippines Diliman such as the UP Concert Chorus, the UP Cherubim Seraphim, the UP Jazz Orchestra, the UP Symphonic Band and the UP Staff Chorale, among others.

Through song and dance, the performers will portray life at UP at different eras and depict how the University responds to the burning issues of the day. The show is produced for the Office of the Chancellor by the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts and the UP Diliman Information Office.

The concert is free and open to the public.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UP!

(this article is reposted from http://www.upd.edu.ph/%7Eupdinfo/whatsup/mainevent.htm)

June 18, 2007 is a red letter day in the UP calendar; it is the birthday of the University.

This year, however, is no ordinary celebration. It is the 99th year of the University. Yes, just one year shy away before the University turns a hundred. And to mark this pre-centennial milestone, several activities have been lined-up by central administration to ensure that the day-long celebration, simple as it should be, is just as meaningful.

The day opens with a parade around the campus by the UP ROTC Symphonic Band under the baton of Prof. Leopoldo Lopez. It will be followed by flag raising ceremonies at the Quezon Hall to be led by UP President Emerlinda R. Román and UPD Chancellor Sergio S. Cao, assisted by other officials of the University.

The day-long celebration will be capped by the kick-off program at the UP Theater entitled, Isang Daan sa Isangdaan (One hundred, one path) where Román will formally launched the centennial agenda.

The centennial agenda will officially direct or guide the centennial celebrations in the constituent universities in 2008.

In Diliman, several projects in line with the centennial celebration are underway. These are improvement of campus facilities and physical well-being, commemorative exhibits, cultural performances, conferences and academic discourses, book publications, among others.

By way of launching these projects, UPD has lined-up an evening of an all Filipino music and dance repertoire in the Isangdaan, Isang daan program.

The program starts with a parade of the academic units participated in by the deans, faculty members, staff and students donning their college colors as they enter the Theater. Accompanied by the Gamelan Ensemble, the parade is expected to be celebratory and festive.

The one hour program will feature the foremost UP performing groups based in the College of Music: the UP Cherubim and Seraphim, and UP Concert Chorus, UP Dance Company, UP Jazz Orchestra, UP Staff Chorale, UP Symphonic Orchestra, and UP Vocal Ensemble.

Isang Daan sa Isangdaan will also feature UP alumni who made a name in the entertainment industry led by impersonator Willie Nepomuceno, singer-actress Nannete Inventor, noted musician Ryan Cayabyab, actress-comedienne Candy Pangilinan, film and stage actress Harlene Bautista, singer Heber Bartolome and many more.

Thru songs and dances, it will portray the life in the University thru the different eras and how the University responds to the burning issues of the day.

The evening program is produced for the Office of the Chancellor by the OICA and DIO.

CRS SCHEDULES (as of May 16, 2007)

For Freshmen and Graduating Students
June 4 Registration for freshmen and graduating students
Freshmen and graduating students are encouraged to enroll on June 4 to improve their chances of getting their desired classes. Those who were not able to enroll on June 4 may still enroll during the regular registration period on June 5 to 15.

Pre-enlistment Schedule for First Semester, AY 2007-08
April 26 - May 16 First Round
May 17 Processing outcome
May 18 - 21 Second Round
May 23 Processing outcome
May 24 - 27 Third Round
May 29 Processing outcome
May 31 - June 1 Distribution of Form 5A
June 5 - 15 Regular Registration
June 12 Start of classes

UPD SCHEDULE OF ADVANCE REGISTRATION/ENROLLMENT FOR INCOMING FRESHMEN

*Daily Schedule

8:00 am - 10:00 am College Briefing
The Preliminary Registration Form (Form 5A) indicating the subjects and schedule in which you pre-enlisted will be distributed. Attendace is a must.

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm Registration at the Melchor Hall Lobby

REQUIREMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED BY INCOMING FRESHMEN
*Form 138 (4th year HSC) with principal's signature
*2 passport size photos (with your name and signature at the back of your photos)
*Student Directory (2 copies) don't forget your signature
*Form 5A with Adviser's signature
*Medical Certificate from UP Health Service

Note: Bring black or blue ballpen (not sign pen pls.)

Date

College/Degree Program
May 7 College of Arts and Letters
(BA Aral. Pilipino, BA Art Studies, BA Comparative Literature, BA Creative Writing, BA English Studies, BA European Lang., BA Filipino, BA Mal. Pagsulat sa Filipino, BA Speech Com., BA Theater Arts)

College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
(BA Psychology, BS Psychology, BS Geography BA Philosophy)

College of Engineering
(BS Computer Engg., BS Elect. & Comm. Engg., BS Elect. Engg.)

-----------------------------------------------------------

May 8 College of Engineering
(BS Chemical Engg., BS Civil Engg.)

College of Soc. Sciences and Philo.
(BA Anthro., BA Pol. Science, BA History, BA Sociology, BA Linguistics)

School of Economics
(BS Business Economics, BS Economics)

College of Music
(B Music)

-----------------------------------------------------------

May 9 Asian Institute of Tourism
(BS Tourism)

College of Architecture
(BS Architecture, B Landscape Architecture)

College of Human Kinetics
(B Physical Education, B Sports Science)

College of Education
(B Elementary Education, B Secondary Education)

College of Engineering
(BS Metallurgical Engg., BS Mining Engg., BS Materials Engg.)

College of Social Work and Com. Dev.t.
(BS Social Work, BS Community Dev.t.)

Institute of Library and Info. Science
(B Library & Info. Science)

National College of Public Adm. and Governance
(BA Public Administration)

School of Statistics
(BS Statistics)

-----------------------------------------------------------

May 10 College of Business Administration
(BS Bus. Adm., BS Bus. Adm. & Acctcy.)

College of Engineering
(BS Computer Science, BS Geodetic Engg., BS Industrial Engg., BS Mechanical Engg.)

College of Home Economics
(BS Cloth. Tech., BS Comm. Nutrition, BS F.L.C.D., BS Food Technology, BS Home Economics, BS H.R.I.M., B Interior Design)

-----------------------------------------------------------

May 11 College of Fine Arts
(B Fine Arts)

College of Mass Communication
(BA Broad. Comm., BA Comm. Research, BA F.A.V.C., BA Journalism)

College of Science
(BS Applied Physics, BS Biology, BS Chemistry, BS Geology, BS Math., BS M.B.B., BS Physics)

And those who did not make it on their scheduled date.

Dormitories in UP Diliman

by: DJ

There's only one month left of our summer vacation before another exciting semester commences. For us who are already used to the punishing processes of enlisting a subject (lucky you if you have enlisted all your subjects through CRS) and paying your tuition fee, we all yearn for an extended vacation.

On the other hand, the incoming "Iskolars ng Bayan" are definitely excited to enter the great halls of the premiere university in the Philippines- what else but UP. Allow me then to give you a glimpse of the existing dormitories inside UP DILIMAN where you can stay at a very low cost.

Incoming freshies are encouraged to stay at Kalayaan Residence Hall since it is exclusive for freshmen students. But if you want, you can also apply in other dormitories aside from Kalayaan. I have a friend who stayed at Ilang-ilang Residence Hall in her first year, and another friend who lived in Narra Residence hall also in his first year at UPD.

Below are the descriptions of the 7 dormitories for undergraduates inside UPD.


1. Kalayaan Residence Hall
Location: Roces Avenue
Clientele: freshman students
Capacity: 198 (Male) and 344 (Female)
Rates: P 500/month
Dorm Manager: Ms. Alma Tirona
Contact Number: 929-8666

The first co-educational freshmen residence hall on campus, the Kalayaan Residence Hall opened its doors to its first group of residents in June 1975. It is only 10-15 minutes walk to the College of Social Science and Philosophy and is just a few meters away from the Catholic and Protestant chapels, the UP Health Service (Infirmary), the UP Shopping Center, and the UP Consumers' Cooperative Store. Transportation is very accessible since it is located along the main jeepney thoroughfare. Each room is designed for two students only and is provided with basic furnishings such as study table and chair, bed with mattress, lockers and mirrors. Bath and comfort rooms are common.


2. Yakal Residence Hall
Location: Magsaysay Avenue
Capacity: 196 (Male) and 182 (female)
Rates: (Male) P 250/4 in a room; (Female) P 350/2 in a room
Dorm Manager: Mr. Rodolfo Robidillo
Contact Number: 981-8500 local 4620, 4621

Yakal Residence Hall was built in 1962 from the vestiges of six-type-A cottages of UP Men's North Dormitory which were demolished in 1961. US Peace Corps-male and female volunteers, including their Filipino counterparts, were the first occupants of Yakal for one summer in 1962. Upon their departure, female students of all year levels who could not be accommodated in Banahaw Residence Hall (now Ilang-Ilang Residence Hall) were accepted.


3. Molave Residence hall
Location: Magsaysay Avenue
Capacity: 189 (Female) and 189 (Male)
Rates: P 250/4 in a room; P 270/3 in a room; P 290/2 a room
Dorm Manager: Ms. Ester Ilano
Contact Number: 981-8500 local 4611, 4612

At present, Molave is a co-ed dormitory accommodating upperclassmen but with preference for sophomores. It now pursues the psycho-social assistance program started for the freshmen residents of Kalayaan Residence Hall under the policy of democratization of admissions. The participation of this hall in the experimental democratization of admission program started in June 1978, when it opened its doors to the first batch of XDS sophomore students. Rooms vary in sizes to accommodate two, three or four students. All rooms are furnished with beds and mattress, lamps, study tables and straight-back chairs. Total capacity is 360 residents.

A well-equipped dining hall plus efficient food service personnel continue to meet the demands of an institutionalized food service. Molave operates on a single-fee (board and lodging) basis.



4. Narra Residence Hall
Location: A. Regidor St.
Clientele: Male only
Capacity: 356 students
Rates: P 175/month
Dorm Manager: Mr. Romeo Bernardo
Contact Number: 981-8500 local 4613, 4614

Brief Background: Narra Residence Hall is home away from home to all students who enjoy its roof. The congenial atmosphere of the house, of the people running it, and of the residents surely complement the academic pursuits of its occupants. Narra started serving the studentry in 1952, when Building I was completed. It originally housed only 88 students, and had one supervisor and two janitors. The construction of Building II (accommodating 88 students and 1 janitor), Building III (88 students and 3 personnel), and Building IV (88 students) took only a year, for 1953 saw all buildings completed.


5. Ilang-Ilang Residence Hall
Location: F. Ma. Guerrero St.
Clientele: Female only
Rates: P 300.00/month
Officer-in-Charge: Ms. Elenita de Guzman
Contact Number: 981-8500 local 4601, 4602

Ilang-Ilang started operation as the first UP-operated dormitory for girls in January 1949. It has a unique structure and design unlike of the typical dorm. Composed of four wings forming a rectangle, its front wing houses the reception hall, the office and information counter, the dining hall and the residence head's quarters. The other three wings compose the 68 rooms that can accommodate four residents in a room. All rooms faces an inner court lawn. The spacious quadrangle boasts of a well-kept garden at the center of which is a sculptured fountain and sixteen fruit bearing caimitos along the corridors.


6. Kamia Residence Hall
Location: Quirino Avenue
Clientele: female only
Capacity: 420 students
Rates: P 250/month
Officer-in-Charge: Ms.Imelda Jimenez
Contact Number: 981-8500 local 4609,4610

Kamia Residence Hall is a forty-six year old dormitory for upperclassmen. It is connected by a covered walk to another campus dormitory for women, the Sampaguita Residence Hall. Kamia Residence Hall is across the street from the College of Social Science and Philosophy and the Department of Zoology. Consisting of a basement, first floor and a second floor, the dormitory has spacious rooms and students may select a furnished room for two, three or four. Each floor has its own communal toilet, bathroom and utility room. A large, well-ventilated study hall on the second floor services every resident. An L-shaped receiving hall is furnished with four upholstered sala sets, a piano and a television set donated by previous House Councils. Public telephone and intercom systems are available.


7. Sampaguita Residence Hall
Location: Quirino Avenue
Clientele: Female only
Capacity: 284 students
Rates: P 225/month
Dorm Manager: Ms. Imelda Jimenez
Contact Number: 981-8500 local 4617, 4618

Sampaguita Residence Hall, situated across the Zoology building and adjacent to the Kamia Residence Hall, was in June 1957 referred to as the UP Women's South Dorm II. Three years later, it was known as Halcon Hall, when acting UP President Virata designated it as such. It was only in 1962 that its present name was adopted. The two-storey dormitory with a basement library on its eastern wing has a snack counter on its western wing. Rooms are adequately furnished for 284 residents, with four students sharing a room; a snack room serves each
wing. At the reception hall, there are two television sets, a stereo and a piano for the residents.


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you can read more at http://www.upd.edu.ph/~ovcsa/osh

Commencement Speech of Reynaldo B. Vea

Here is a copy of the commencement speech given by Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea during the 96th general commencement excercises on April 22 at the UP DILIMAN amphitheater.

“Stay grateful – to the Filipino people who helped see you through school; to the beloved alma mater which will help see you through your career; and to your parents and loved ones who have seen you and will continue to see you through life.”

complete text:

STAY GRATEFUL
Reynaldo B. Vea, Ph.D.
Commencement Speech
University of the Philippines at Diliman
April 22, 2007


A thousand life and career trajectories; a common origin

From hereon out you will all be flying off in career and life trajectories as many as there are of you here this afternoon. If a commencement speaker had to prescribe formulae for success without lapsing into platitudes, I say I would not know how to do that. And this is because you each would have a different measure of success. Is it how big a fortune I will be able to amass? Is it how comfortable and quiet a life I will be able to secure? Is it how beautiful a family I will be able to raise? Is it how much happiness and fulfillment I will be able to derive from my work and creation? Is it how full a life of the mind I will be able to live? Is it how well I will be able to be of service to my countrymen, to humanity, to God? Or is it some combination of the above?

While I cannot offer formulae, I can, however, share some lessons and attempt to impart perspective. With your indulgence I will show one specific trajectory, namely, mine. I will also paint you a picture of the world today as I see it. I hope these will help you plot your own trajectory



Dimensions of a UP education: the maelstrom and the gauntlet

When I entered UP in 1969, a war was raging in a neighboring country, Vietnam. A so-called Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, then not yet known to be bloody, was in full swing in another neighboring country, bamboo-curtained China. The battlecry “make love not war” reverberated in US campuses. Barricades were once again sprouting up in the storied streets of Paris. Bearded, cigar-chomping romantic figures were leading Latin American revolutions.

Closer to home, the intellectual ferment and the academic debates between the so-called progressives and reactionaries in UP were rising fever pitch to the plane of action, helped along by the increasingly violent actions of a nascent dictatorship and by now-iconic images of the times that were clearly “a-changing”, as Bob Dylan puts it,

The hottest bed of clamors for change was UP, and it was hard not to be swept into the maelstrom. Stark poverty in rural and urban communities tugged at still-properly-placed young hearts. Blatant corruption in high places tested the limits of forbearance. Brazen violation of civil liberties provoked the loss of political meekness. And wave upon wave of mass actions made it easy to find a way to get involved.

This was the gust of historical wind that buffeted several batches of students of UP and other schools who, coming out of high school, mistakenly thought that their lives would follow the straight and narrow as had those who had gone before them. They were not passive elements, to be sure. They huffed and they puffed and got tossed around, too. They made history as much as experienced it.

Although one could not find it in the curriculum, this experience on the streets I consider to be a part of my UP education. Students of other schools could likewise claim it to be part of their education. The classroom simply spilled onto the street. And vice-versa. Revisiting the past and examining the present in the classrooms led to attempts at the reshaping of the future on the streets. Dramatic events on the streets in turn enlivened and enriched what otherwise would have been staid, less-than-relevant classroom discourse. It was simply an expression of UP education at the time. It taught me politics and the historical process like nothing could.

These lessons indeed came at a very steep price, including lives lost, lives of close friends even. We are proud of what we did. The regret would have been if we had not answered the call of the times. But it is nothing to crow about. A previous generation suffered a shooting war. My own mother, here with us this afternoon, was on the Death March for 3 days from Cabcaben to Balanga, Bataan. It is also something not to be wished upon any other generation. We certainly did not wish tumultuous times upon our own kids when they were in College. Young people should be able to concentrate on scholarly pursuit to better serve the nation and humanity later.

Was I glad and am I ever grateful that this great University, which has seen its fair share of rebellious students over the decades, took me back into its fold after my 20-month incarceration. This afforded me a chance to experience the other dimensions of University life and to finish what I had set out to do years before.

Academic life at the College of Engineering was tough. First there was the gauntlet of departmental exams in the engineering sciences that one had to go through. Then came the professional courses in which the faculty basically gave no quarters in upholding standards. What was “so UP” about it all, I believe, was the time spent in studying the underlying principles of and in deriving formulae to represent physical phenomena. This deep understanding enabled one to work from first principles when there were no sample problems and solutions to bank on. It has always served me well as a practicing engineer and as an academic.



Drinking from the fireman’s hose; standing at the frontiers of knowledge

Nothing boosts the trajectory of an academic career like a graduate degree. My UP credentials and the good work of UP alumni who studied before me helped me get admitted to the best engineering schools in the world. My faculty position at UP also certainly helped me obtain the scholarships I needed to afford my studies.

Getting an education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is, as they say, “like drinking from a fireman’s hose!” One is simply bombarded with too much content. These educational materials all come from a body of knowledge that people working across continents and across time have assembled. When Isaac Newton said figuratively that he was able to see as far as he did because he was standing on the “shoulders of giants,” he was referring to this fund of knowledge. Eventually, in one’s own field, one gets to appreciate the shape and form of this fund of knowledge and to understand the process by which it grows. Eventually, too, one gets to intimately see the envelope of this body of knowledge beyond which nobody knows anything anymore. To an academic no experience could be more exhilarating. To be given a chance to push this envelope even in the minutest degree felt almost like a privilege.

At Cal Berkeley, I was able to make a bigger but still humble contribution. While a master’s degree may in general require only the solution of a nontrivial problem, which leads to a minor contribution, a doctoral degree requires original work, which by its very nature should be more significant. As a newly-minted PhD, one can, for a second, stand at the frontiers of knowledge, arms akimbo, knowing that he knows more about a particular subject than anybody else in the world, past and present.



The generation of new knowledge: the need for it and the freedom to do it

I stand in awe of the capability that MIT and UC Berkeley have built over the years in generating new knowledge and new technologies. I marvel at how they have wielded the principles of academic freedom, collegiality and tenure as instruments to further individual and institutional excellence.

The fact that the best US schools were so far ahead of us in this regard did not bother me any. The heights they had attained simply felt so out of reach of Philippine schools.

What bothered me a lot in the early 90’s, though, was how the schools in neighboring countries had charged so far ahead of us in this respect while we were still reeling from the debilitating effects of a long period of misrule. And these schools have sustained their momentum to the present, despite the hiccup of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, while we are still bogged down and unable to get our politics right.

It is important for us to learn how to generate and manage knowledge because knowledge is the coin of present-day economies.

The field of chemistry bloomed in the 19th century. Multi-awarded writer John Horgan of the Scientific American states that by the 1930’s Linus Pauling had shown that all chemical reactions could be explained in terms of quantum mechanics. Yet a lot has to be learned in applied chemistry. Physics was the science of the 20th century. Stephen Hawking declared in his book A Brief History of Time that physics is on the verge of putting together a unified theory of the basic forces of nature that could unlock the secrets of the origins of the universe. There are still basic questions to be answered and the field of applied physics is wide, wide open. According to UC Berkeley biologist Gunther Stent, Watson and Crick’s discovery of the DNA in 1953 has left three unanswered questions for biology: how life began, how a single fertilized egg develops into a multicellular organism and how the central nervous system processes information. Getting answers to these basic questions should keep scientists very busy in the 21st century, which many say will be the century of biology.

Out of what some people term as the “explosion” in basic and applied scientific research have been developed technologies that have become the enablers of global businesses and national economies. As early as 1957, MIT economist Robert Solow calculated and showed that technology is responsible for about 80% of growth. New York University’s Professor Lev notes that in the manufacturing economy of the 1970’s the market-to-book ratio of Standard and Poor’s 500 corporations ran at about 1:1. At the turn of the century it was at about 6:1. High flyers like Microsoft at one point came in at about 25:1. The books were not showing value that the markets knew about! This value that goes unreported in traditional accounting methods is attributed to so-called intellectual capital, some of it ingrained in corporate culture and much of it embedded in technology. According to Fortune magazine, when the Pentium chip came out, ounce for ounce, it was about 40 times more expensive than gold. It was not due to the material because the chip was mainly just plain silicon, one of the most abundant materials on earth. Rather, it was the technology and the knowledge embodied in the chip that made it so valuable.

We have upon us a knowledge-based economy and in such an economy nothing could be of greater strategic value to a country than the capability to generate new knowledge and technologies. In his book Building Wealth Lester Thurow of the Sloan School of Management states that one of the more robust conclusions of economics is the high social returns of R & D spending, which for the U.S. has been estimated at 66%.

If we are not content to be the modern-day equivalents of “hewers of wood and bearers of water”, then not having R & D capability is not an option. I hope that some of you out there would feel challenged enough to be part of such a big endeavor to develop R & D capability. It could be a good career trajectory.



It is a good time to be a graduate, a tough time to be “nationalistic”

As surely as the intangible world of knowledge has dramatically expanded so has the physical world rapidly shrunk.

Transportation, information and communications technologies have so battered down the constraints of time and space that business operations on a global scale have become commonplace. Businesses naturally seek places where it is cheapest to produce and markets where it generates the most profits. If one company would not do it then some other competitor company will. If one country would not find a way to participate in the interest of its own people then some other competitor country will. The very logic of the situation makes globalization inexorable. One can stem the tide no more than one can keep this venerable University from turning 100 next year.

But there are concerns. A basic one is that there is yet to develop a global political and regulatory system to tame such a galloping economic phenomenon. In an earlier period, technological developments had enabled local and regional economies to become national in scale. By and large, the development of national governments has been able to cope with such economic upscaling.

Global companies have to decide which part of their operations shall be done in-house and which shall be outsourced, which shall be done onshore and which offshore. They look upon the world as their source of manpower and of services. On the flipside, a professional or a service firm in any country can look at the entire world as the source of job opportunities. It can be said that the market for human resources and for professional services has by and large gone global. The McKinsey Global Institute, for one, estimates that 52 % of all engineering jobs are globally resourceable. The corresponding figure for accounting is 31 %.

What the emergence of a global knowledge-based economy means for young people like you is that the possibilities for employment and for the establishment of businesses are vast. There are more kinds of businesses to engage in, businesses the exciting models for some of which are waiting to be devised by you. There are more types of knowledge-based jobs to do, jobs for which UP graduates are eminently prepared. There are a lot more choices of places to work and live in, places which are rendered more accessible by modern transport systems and in which loneliness is mitigated by the vanishing cost of communications. The world is figuratively at your doorsteps. Under such a situation, it is as extremely hard to follow, as it is to give, advice that you should be “nationalistic” by staying in the Philippines.



The hot button and the cold advice

Now, that is a hot button.

Policy makers and administrators of the Republic are rightfully concerned about a “brain drain.” If health and IT professionals, engineers, accountants, airline pilots and other professionals leave in droves, who will be left to serve Philippine needs? In the engineering sector we are worried enough to want a count of engineers still in the country and to project how many will still be here in the years to come given the present graduation and offshore hiring rates. There is after all a projection by McKinsey Global Institute that if current hiring rates persist there will be a “constraint” in the supply of suitable or qualified young – meaning 7 years or less out of school - engineers globally by the year 2015.

For UP administrators there is double the concern because tax money went into its students’ education. Furthermore, it is always assumed that it is part of UP’s mission to contribute to national development.

It is not an option for UP and other schools to tailor fit their curricula solely to local needs because Filipino professionals who stay in the Philippines must also be trained to international standards. This is because Philippine and Philippine-based companies have global markets and connections as well. Furthermore, our own people deserve no less than world-class professional services. And what would a UP education be if it were not at the highest standards? There simply cannot be a dichotomy of curricular standards.

Albeit highly unlikely, the best thing that could happen is for everyone to stay home permanently and share the burden in the awesome task of developing Philippine society so that it becomes a player to reckon with on the global stage and so that eventually the life chances of the ordinary Filipinos in the Philippines do not become stunted or stymied.

However, I say that it isn’t fair to ask everyone to permanently stay and work in the country. But neither is it fair for us, UP alumni, not to give back to the country and the University that have given us so much.

To those already itching to grab global opportunities, I say work in the country for a number of years after graduation – heal the sick, help design some urban area, create some fine works of art, teach the children, do multimedia, help build roads and bridges, do research on some social issue, engage in some entrepreneurial activities, work in a bank, show an example of good local governance, do some lawyering, some marketing etc. I have a feeling that this is already happening anyway. And when you eventually find yourselves on distant shores, make giving back part of your trajectory. The ways are many, some of which you yourselves should be able to think of. Share your expertise. Share your resources. Help build up the University’s endowment fund. Come back and work here again. Invest in the Philippine economy.

The world is much changed from the one we knew way back when. And in ways that many, including us, would never have imagined. Dominoes never toppled, and Vietnam now competes for foreign direct investments. China lifted its bamboo-curtain and rises quickly not on wings of ideology but of market economics. The mighty-looking Soviet Union simply crumbled under its own weight. Che Guevara remains a popular, romantic figure but only innocuously on t-shirts and posters. Only a few years ago there was talk of a “Pacific Century.” But then came the 1997 financial crisis and the dramatic rise of India.

As each of you mull over your individual opportunities you no doubt also think about how the Philippines can get it right. How can there be a national consensus and united effort to bring the country back to the top of the heap? Each generation of young men and women faces its own challenges. And the challenges for each generation change with its growing influence through the years. The time of being allowed to decry without being held to resolve problems soon comes to pass. UP graduates are eventually called upon to give of themselves. One finds that it is just as hard, if not more so, to make a cusp with one’s hands in which to cradle this society as it is to clench a fist in times of danger. But give of ourselves and give back we must.

Steve Jobs told Stanford graduates 2 years ago to “Stay hungry!” Although I am certainly no Steve Jobs, I say to you, “Stay grateful – to the Filipino people who helped see you through school; to the beloved alma mater which will help see you through your career; and to your parents and loved ones who have seen you and will continue to see you through life.”

Stay grateful.

Congratulations and thank you very much!
----------------------------------------
source: http://www.upd.edu.ph

valedictory speech of 16-year old UP summa cumlaude

I like to repost this inspirational valedictory address by the valedictorian of UPD Class 2007. For those who don't know yet, Mikaela Irene D. Fudolig (BS Physics) is one of those who entered UP without ever taking the UPCAT and earning a high school diploma.

"Take not the road less traveled"

Mikaela Irene Fudolig - BS Physics
Speech at the Commencement Exercises, UPD
April 22, 2007

One of the things that strike me as being very "UP
Diliman" is the way UPD students can't seem to stay on
the pavement. From every street corner that bounds an
unpaved piece of land, one will espy a narrow trail
that cuts the corner, or leads from it. Every lawn
around the buildings sports at least one of these
paths, starting from a point nearest to the IKOT stop
and ending at the nearest entry to the building. The
trails are beaten on the grass by many pairs of feet
wanting to save a fraction of a meter of traveling, no
matter that doing so will exact some cost to the
shoes, or, to the ubiquitous slippers, especially when
the trails are new.

What do these paths say about us, UP students?

One could say that the UP student is enamored with
Mathematics and Pythagoras, hence these triangles
formed by the pavement and the path. Many among you
would disagree.

Others could say that the UP student is naturally
countercultural. And the refusal to use the pavement
is just one of the myriads of ways to show his
defiance of the order of things. This time, many would
agree.

Still, others will say that the UP student is the
model of today's youth: they want everything easier,
faster, now. The walkable paths appeal to them because
they get to their destination faster, and presumably,
with less effort. Now that is only partly true, and
totally unfair.

These trails weren't always walkable. No doubt they
started as patches of grass, perhaps overgrown. Those
who first walked them must have soiled their shoes,
stubbed their toes, or had insects biting their legs,
all in the immovable belief that the nearest distance
between two points is a straight line. They might even
have seen snakes cross their paths. But the soiled
footwear, sore toes, and itchy legs started to conquer
the grass. Other people, seeing the yet faint trail,
followed. And as more and more walked the path, the
grass gave in and stopped growing altogether, making
the path more and more visible, more and more
walkable.

The persistence of the paths pays tribute to those UP
students who walked them first - the pioneers of the
unbeaten tracks: the defiant and curious few who
refuse the familiar and comfortable; the
out-of-the-box thinkers who solve problems instead of
fretting about them; the brave who dare do things
differently, and open new opportunities to those who
follow.

They say how one behaved in the past would determine
how he behaves in the future. And as we leave the
University, temporarily or for good, let us call on
the pioneering, defiant, and brave spirit that built
the paths to guide us in this next phase of our life.

We have been warned time and again. Our new world that
they call "adulthood" is one that's full of
compromises, where success is determined more by the
ability to belong than by the ability to think, where
it is much easier to do as everyone else does. Daily
we are bombarded with so much news of despair about
the state of our nation, and the apparent, perverse
sense of satisfaction our politicians get from
vilifying our state of affairs. It is fashionable to
migrate to other countries to work in deceptively
high-paying jobs like nursing and teaching, forgetting
that even at their favored work destinations, nurses
and teachers are some of the lowest paid
professionals. The lure of high and immediate monetary
benefits in some low-end outsourcing jobs has drawn
even some of the brightest UP students away from both
industry and university teaching to which they would
have been better suited.

Like the sidewalks and pavement, these paths are the
easiest to take.

But, like the sidewalks and pavement, these paths take
longer to traverse, just as individual successes do
not always make for national progress. The unceasing
critic could get elected, but not get the job done.
The immigrant could get his visa, but disappear from
our brainpower pool. The highly paid employee would be
underutilized for his skills, and pine to get the job
he truly wants, but is now out of his reach. And the
country, and we, are poorer because of these.

Today, the nation needs brave, defiant pioneers to
reverse our nation's slide to despair. Today, we must
call upon the spirit that beat the tracks. Today, we
must present an alternative way of doing things.

Do NOT just take courage, for courage is not enough.
Instead, be BRAVE! It will take bravery to go against
popular wisdom, against the clich�d expectations of
family and friends. It will take bravery to gamble
your future by staying in the country and try to make
a prosperous life here. It might help if for a start,
we try to see why our Korean friends are flocking to
our country. Why, as many of us line up for immigrant
visas in various embassies, they get themselves
naturalized and settle here. Do they know something we
don't?

Do NOT just be strong in your convictions, for
strength is not enough. Instead, DEFY the pressure to
lead a comfortable, but middling life. Let us lead
this country from the despair of mediocrity. Let us
not seek to do well, but strive to EXCEL in everything
that we do. This, so others will see us as a nation of
brains of the highest quality, not just of brawn that
could be had for cheap.

Take NOT the road less traveled. Rather, MAKE new
roads, BLAZE new trails, FIND new routes to your
dreams. Unlike the track-beaters in campus who see
where they're going, we may not know how far we can
go. But if we are brave, defiant searchers of
excellence, we will go far. Explore possibilities,
that others may get a similar chance. I have tried it
myself. And I'm speaking to you now.

But talk is cheap, they say. And so I put my money
where my mouth is. Today, I place myself in the
service of the University, if it will have me. I would
like to teach, to share knowledge, and perhaps to be
an example to new UP students in thinking and striving
beyond the limits of the possible. This may only be a
small disturbance in the grass. But I hope you'll come
with me, and trample a new path.

Good evening, everyone.

------------------
source: http://upd.edu.ph

EUREKA! Kudos to Filipino science geniuses

EUREKA!
Kudos to Filipino science geniuses

By Queena Lee-Chua
Inquirer
Last updated 00:45am (Mla time) 04/14/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Isef), the world’s largest science research competition for high school students, brings together almost 1,500 science aficionados from almost 50 countries. These students share ideas on cutting-edge science, and compete for over US$4 million in awards and scholarships. The finalists for each country are selected from local Intel fests.

Since 1998, the Intel Philippine Science Fair has provided a venue for our high school students to showcase their investigative endeavors. Our local fair has proven to be a success, with a 20 percent increase in participation each year. This year’s Pinoy delegates will represent our country in the Intel Isef in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States in May.

Team projects

Jane Suede, Charlotte Joyce Gamelong and Virna Joy Cabañero of Doña Hortencia Salas Benedicto National High School, La Carlota City, have been chosen for their project, “Attraction and Parasitization Response of the Parasitoid Trichogramma japonicum Ashmead to Oregano, Origanum vulgare Extract.” Their research aims to provide agriculturists with a natural biological control against pests.

Ivy Razel Ventura, Janline Cindy Santiago and Mara Ellaine Villaverde of the Philippine Science High School in Diliman have also been selected for their project, “Screening, Isolation and Characterization of Fluorescent Proteins from Nudibranchs,” which introduces new technology in the study of marine life.

Individual projects

The winning projects reflect a broad range of fields and interests, which are potential breakthroughs in science and technology. Luigi John Karlo Suarez, also of Doña Hortencia Salas Benedicto National High School, has come up with research titled “Marine Bioluminescent Bacteria Isolates of the Vibrio spp. as a Narrow Spectrum Antibacterial Agent against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae & Xanthomonas.” Suarez gives a new way of controlling bacteria infection in plants, and aims to help farmers produce infection-free rice.

The project of Anthon Mark Jay Rivas of Bayugan National Comprehensive High School, Bayugan, Agusan del Sur, is “Novel Shield against Gamma Radiation from Tilapia (Oreochromis sp) Scales: The Next Generation Radiation Protection. Through this, Rivas hopes to show that cheap, renewable and environment-friendly protection against radiation may be possible through the use of tilapia scales.

Hester Mana Umayam of the Philippine Science High School Cagayan Valley Campus, Nueva Vizcaya, has been chosen for his project, one which is close to my heart, “Ethnomathematics Applications on the Different Derived Patterns from Chosen Kalinga Woven Fabrics.” Umayam uses math to create better understanding of the patterns of Kalinga woven fabrics, especially their socio-cultural implications.

As for the project of Melvyn Arlo Barroa of Capiz National High School, Roxas City, titled “Fish Mucus: Its Potential Antimicrobial Effect on Human Pathogens and Possible Role in Innate Immunity;” the study introduces a potential antibiotic and a natural defense mechanism for fish.

At par with the world

According to Ma. Teresa L. Pacis, external communications manager for Corporate Affairs of Intel Philippines, “The Intel Philippines Science Fair promotes science and technology among the Filipino youth by fanning their passion for research. Through the years, the fair has demonstrated, too, that Filipino students are at par with the rest of the world and that what they are working on may help improve not just their personal lives, but on a greater scheme, the world of the 21st century. The fair is all about raising the bar, a task in which no student should feel incapable of doing, no matter the circumstances.”

Congratulations to our Pinoy science geniuses! May you bring more pride to our country.

For more information, contact Ms Pacis at ma.teresa.l.pacis@intel.com or log on to www.intel.com/education/ph or www.intel.com/community/philippines.

Contact Queena N. Lee-Chua at blessbook@yahoo.com.

Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea to keynote UPD commencement exercises

Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea to keynote UPD commencement exercises

this article is copied from http://www.upd.edu.ph/%7Eupdinfo/Pagtatapos07/keynote.html

(UP Diliman Information Office)--Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea, Outstanding UP Alumnus and President of the Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT), will address over 3000 graduates at UP Diliman’s (UPD) 96th General Commencement Exercises, which will be held on April 22, at 3 p.m. at the University Amphitheater.

Vea earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, magna cum laude in 1977, where he was also named Most Outstanding Male Student by the UP Alumni Association (UPAA). Immediately after graduation, he joined the faculty of the College of Engineering (CoE) and served the academic unit for 23 years. In 1993, he was was appointed dean for a 3-year term. As dean, he worked closely with the Commission on Higher Education to upgrade the standards of engineering education in the country.

He obtained an MS in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981 and a Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1991. His stint at UP was briefly interrupted by naval architectural practice at the Hudson Shipbuilders, Inc. in Pascagoula, Mississippi (1981-82) and at the Herbert Engineering Corp., a ship design firm, in San Francisco, California (1982-83).

In 1997, then Philippine President Fidel Ramos asked Vea to be the Administrator of the Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), a post he accepted in the belief that “he would forever lose his right to comment on government affairs if he refused the offer.” Vea was the the helm of the MWSS at its transition to a privatized setup. He also had to deal with the worst El Niño in the country and with Asian financial crisis, which caused a steep dive in the value of the Peso.

Vea accepted the presidency of the MIT in late 1999. In the last seven years, he has worked to make the institution conform to international standards in engineering education.

In 2000, Vea received the Most Distinguished Alumnus award from the UP Alumni Engineers and the Outstanding Professional Award in Engineering from the UPAA in 2001. In the same year, he was elected to the National Academy of Science and Technology as an Academician in the Engineering Sciences and Technology Division for his outstanding work and accomplishments in the fields of naval architecture, marine engineering, and marine transportation systems.

UP Diliman Class of 2007 has 8 top honors

UP Diliman Class of 2007 has 8 top honors

(This article is copied from http://www.upd.edu.ph/%7Eupdinfo/Pagtatapos07/summa07.html)

UP Diliman Class of 2007 has 8 top honors

(UP Diliman Information Office)--Eight UP Diliman (UPD) candidates for graduation will receive the highest academic honors of summa cum laude at the 96th General Commencement Exercises to be held on Sunday, April 22, at 3 p.m.

The summa cum laude is conferred to a graduate with a general weighted average (GWA) of 1.20.

Mikaela Irene D. Fudolig, BS Physics with a GWA of 1.099, will lead the top honors. She will also deliver the valedictory address on behalf of the graduating class.

Only 16 years old, Fudolig is the youngest student to be graduated by the University in the recent years and one of only two admitted to UPD without a high school diploma and without taking the UP College Admission Test.

She was only 11 years old and a sophomore at the Quezon City Science High School when she was granted permission to enroll at UPD as a non-degree student, having volunteered for a prototype Early College Placement Program the UPD College of Education was spearheading. After earning remarkable grades for an academic year, the Department of Education (DepEd) endorsed her admission to UPD, which was approved by the UP Board of Regents on May 30, 2003.

Seven other candidates for graduation will share the highest honors. They are: Ariel C. Lopéz, BA History (1.107); Deniece S. Yusun, BS Architecture (1.30); Hannah Hazel A. Morales, BS Chemistry (1.181); Lorraine Joyce N. Yu, BS Architecture (1.183); Ma. Lourena M. Mangaban, BA Philosophy (1.187); Magdalene Y. Lim, BS Business Administration (1.187); and Ivan Chester G. Canoy, BS Biology (1.194).

Fudolig and Canoy received the Gawad Chanselor para sa Natatanging Mag-aaral in 2007, the University’s highest recognition for academic excellence.

In addition to the top honors, UPD produced 133 magna cum laude graduates and 638 cum laude. The magna cum laude is conferred to a graduate with a GWA of 1.45 and the cum laude for a GWA of 1.75.

Some 3000 candidates for graduation will receive their academic degrees at the program.

Traffic within the vicinity of the Academic Oval will be rerouted for the event starting at 1 p.m. on April 22.