“We feel very proud of this. This is a milestone for UP Mindanao,” UPMin Chancellor Gilda C. Rivero told media in a press conference.

She recounted how the project had been proposed almost two years ago. When the DOST approved a grant of P23 million for the UPMin Biotechnology Research Program and the establishment of the facility, UPMin was able to do more in-depth and advanced research work in biotechnology and has, at present, become a center of biotechnology in Mindanao. “We are now on our first year, and I think we’ve met [our] goals,” the chancellor reported.

The grant currently supports the research program on indigenous bio-resources in Mindanao, consisting of several component projects. The program is currently focused on the sago palm because of its abundance and high starch yield. Dr. Dulce M. Flores, leader of the “Extraction Studies, Physicochemical and Functional Properties of Sago Starch” project and program pioneer, aims to shorten the process and reduce the cost of producing “value-added” products such as industrial lactic acid, ethanol, and biodegradable plastics from starch.

“Sago is just the first, but other abundant indigenous resources like nipa, kaong, and some forest species ornamentals will be included in future programs,” Flores added.

The potential of sago is recognized by program sponsors DOST and the Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development (PCASTRD). PCASTRD Executive Director Reynaldo V. Ebora described sago to the press as a viable food source that can serve as an alternative to corn and other local crops.

DOST Secretary Estrella F. Alabastro praised UPMin’s efforts in biotechnology and called it an example of how the academe can help lessen the dependence on non-renewable materials.

Alabastro added that, with the facility, UPMin now becomes part of the network of older UP campuses involved in biotechnology research: UP Diliman, UP Manila, UP Los Baños, and UP Visayas—all of which have their own institutes of biotechnology. UPLB is focused on agricultural biotechnology, UPM on medical applications of biotechnology, and UPV on marine biotechnology.

In extracting “value-added” products from sago, the UPMin biotechnology program has embarked on an inventory of sago palms growing in the forests of Mindanao and other places in the country; the study of its pests, natural friends, and microbial growth regulators; the micro-propagation of sago palms; the molecular varietal verification of sago species; and the study of starch-digesting organisms.

President Emerlinda R. Roman said that projects like these prove that UPMin can do more than offer degree programs to help the country. At a time when UPMin is still grappling with its identity as a constituent university, it has embarked on research works tailored to fit the needs of its clientele. The strengthening of its science and technology capabilities is also in line with its mandate to apply UP expertise to the concerns of Mindanao. According to Roman, studies on indigenous food and bio-resources found in Mindanao fall under Mindanao studies, a broad field UPMin can excel in.

Chancellor Rivero said that the biotechnology project has enhanced the collegiality of UPMin experts from various disciplines as they are working toward a common goal. “The students never had it so good… work[ing] in state-of-the-art laboratories,” Rivero added.

Leading the ribbon-cutting ceremony were Alabastro, Ebora, Roman, and UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Amelia P. Guevara. They were welcomed by UPMin officials, led by Chancellor Gilda C. Rivero, who thanked them profusely for helping the CU realize the biotechnology program. (With reporting by Yas D. Ocampo and Rene Estremera)

From the UP Newsletter

UP placed third in the over-all standings in the 71st Season of the UAAP after an impressive one-to-nil victory of the UP Fighting Maroon Booters over the FEU Tamaraws at the Erenchum Field of the Ateneo de Manila University.

Jose Andoni Santos of UP sealed the fate of the Tamaraws by scoring the deciding goal. The Maroon Booters bested the defending champions after beating them twice in a twice-to-beat series. Fighting Maroon John Edward Rances was later named as the season’s Most Valuable Player in Football.

In Men’s Volleyball, the Fighting Maroons settled for second place after the UST Growling Tigers won the best-of-three series at the Arena in San Juan City. The Maroons had earlier defeated the DLSU Green Archers, despite the Archers’ twice-to-beat advantage, placing the boys from Recto in the third spot. UP’s Gerald Magtoto was hailed as the Best Setter for this season.

Along with their colleagues in volleyball and football, the Fighting Maroon Fencers also took this season’s second place in the Women’s category, and third place in the Men’s category. The Maroon Sluggers placed second in baseball. The Fighting Maroons also grabbed third place in the Men’s category in Tennis. UP’s Robert Miguel France Nasis was named MVP for Track and Field in the Juniors Division.

During the first semester, the Fighting Maroons were batting for third place in the over-all standings in the UAAP after its hard-earned championship win in Women’s Judo, where Ada Theres Estanislao was named as the Most Valuable Player; second place in Women’s Basketball; third place in Men’s Swimming; second place in Women’s Swimming, with Luica Gaudes Dacanay named Most Valuable Player; third places for Men’s and Women’s Table Tennis. UP also successfully defended its championship title at the Cheerdance Competition.

The over-all standing of a university in the UAAP is determined by adding all the points earned by its participating teams. The teams are scored based on how they placed in their respective events. According to the system adopted by the UAAP, 15 points goes to the champion, 12 points goes to the first runner-up, and 10 points to the second runner-up. Points ranging from eight to one are also given to winners of the fourth place to the eighth place in events that have more than three places for finishers. This season, the University of Santo Tomas headed the pack with 333 points; followed by De La Salle University with 241 points. UP came in third with 235 points.

The UAAP events include basketball, chess, beach volleyball, judo, taekwondo, table tennis, and cheerdance during the first semester; and baseball, football, softball, tennis, track and tield, volleyball, badminton, and fencing during the second semester. UP participated in all events.

This season’s host, the University of the Philippines, had hoped to bag the championship as an athletic tribute to the centennial celebrations of the country’s premier university. UP was Overall Champion in the UAAP in the 40th and 41st Seasons (1977-1978 and 1978-1979), in the 43rd Season (1980-1981), the 45th Season (1982-1983) sharing the title with the University of Santo Tomas, and in the 60th Season (1997-1998).

The Closing Ceremonies were held at the UP Bahay ng Alumni on March 12, 2009 where the season’s winners were handed their awards. Aside from the recognition of the team and individual winners and the MVPs, UP’s Javier Luis Gomez of the Men’s Track and Field Division was recognized in the Academic Achievement Awards for athlete scholars. The ceremony also marked the end of the 71st Season with UP Diliman Chancellor Sergio Cao turning over the hosting duties of the UAAP games for the 72nd Season to Far Eastern University President Anton Montinola. (With reports from the UP Diliman Information Office)

From the UP Newsletter

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap challenged the UP Los Baños (UPLB) community to support government efforts in boosting food production at the opening ceremonies of the UPLB Centennial celebration held on March 2 at the Seniors’ Social Garden.

Yap, the program’s guest speaker, said that the country has to produce twice the food that it is producing now in order to feed the entire population by 2015. He challenged UPLB constituents to be truly “iskolar para sa bayan” and help in food production. He regretted the fact that the Philippines still imports staples from neighboring countries.

“UPLB must be more militant and more aggressive in its research on agriculture and agricultural technology in its next 100 years,” he added. Yap, however, recognized the research contributions of the University as substantial contributions, pointing out alternative technologies made by UPLB in the fields of agriculture, forestry, agro-industry, veterinary medicine, and biotechnology. For farmers, UPLB has a storehouse of knowledge and skills that can increase crop yield and reduce the use of chemical fertilizers in favor of organic fertilizers. It has also created crop and horticultural varieties that are more resistant to pests and inclement environmental conditions.

But these have to be disseminated and applied more widely. Yap thus stressed the importance of training and extension work. During an earlier program, Dr. Domingo Angeles, College of Agriculture (CA) dean, said that the technologies and the plant varieties generated by the College will be “reinvested” in the farmers by way of technology transfer.

With an assurance that the constituent university will work toward these goals, Yap committed himself to lobbying for the allocation of more funds to UPLB. He then reported that the Gloria Arroyo administration has increased the budget for agriculture by 67 percent—the highest increase in history, Yap said. For his part, Chancellor Luis Rey Velasco vowed continued support of agriculture by the University.

President Emerlinda Roman praised UPLB for its tradition of excellence and service to the country and stressed its role in rural development and expertise in emerging fields like biotechnology, microbiology, and alternative fuels. She then urged the University to build character among students and nurture in them a sense of country and service.

The ceremonies formally opened the AgriFair and Exhibits and the Flower and Garden Show where CA units, government and R&D institutions, and private groups displayed new technologies and products. A rodeo also took place later in the week.

Before the opening ceremonies, an early morning program was held at the Foundation Site Marker at the CA. Chancellor Velasco and Dean Angeles urged the UPLB community to look back at history and find inspiration to do better in its tasks ahead. UPLB started as the College of Agriculture, which was one of the first UP units to be established when it was created by the Board of Regents on March 6, 1909.

Chancellor Velasco congratulated the CA for maintaining the standards of excellence and its relevance to society. He expressed optimism that the College will keep up the good work despite increasingly higher expectations and challenges that lie ahead. The chancellor encouraged everyone to continue living the dreams and aspirations of UPLB’s forefathers for the development of agriculture in the country.

Remembering the circumstances of the College’s founding, Velasco pointed to the ideal location of the campus, whose proximity to Mt. Makiling and Laguna Lake and the good climate made it the choice campus for agriculture and forestry. The other sites considered were Majayjay in the same province and La Granja on Negros island.

UPLB was the first unit of the University declared to be autonomous when UP was re-organized as a system in 1972. At present, UPLB has nine colleges and two schools: College of Agriculture, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Developmental Communication, College of Engineering and Agro-industrial Technology, College of Economics and Management, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, College of Human Ecology, College of Public Affairs, College of Veterinary Medicine, School of Environmental Science and Management, and the Graduate School.

From the UP Newsletter

The various sectors of the UP community were fetched from different points at the Academic Oval by the Quezon City Hall and the Armed Forces of the Philippines marching bands, while the crowd was welcomed at UP’s Quezon Hall with music from the UP Symphonic Band. A flag-raising ceremony was led by College of Music Dean Ramon Acoymo, the UP Cherubims and Seraphims, and the UP Staff Chorale.

The highlight of the program was a speech by President Emerlinda Roman, which was interrupted by an SMS message announcing the approval by the Department of Budget and Management of the Centennial Bonus for UP personnel. President Roman said that while the University may face many problems, there are still a lot of things to celebrate, such as the public’s pride in, respect for, and trust in UP; the goodwill of almost everyone in the country; and UP’s rich resource of talented personnel who are committed to the ideals of excellence, leadership, and service.

The speech was followed by the launching of the UP Centennial Commemorative Stamps, with Luis Carlos, Assistant Postmaster General of the Philippine Postal Corp., and the UP System Executive Staff unfurling from the Quezon Hall bridge four large tarpaulins printed with the stamp designs. The stamps, which will be accepted around the world, are available in four designs executed by College of Fine Arts’s Alfred Capiral. The designs feature the UP seal, UP Centennial logo, Carillon, and Oblation.

The new officers of the UP Diliman Student Council (SC) took their oath in front of the UP community, with UP Diliman Chancellor Sergio S. Cao administering the oath.

The program at Quezon Hall ended with the release of 100 maroon and green balloons accompanied by fireworks and the community singing Happy Birthday.

The SC then led a march toward Vinzons Hall, where its project for the P50-million renovation of the 50-year-old building was launched with performances from various student groups and UP School of Economics alumna and contemporary bossa nova artist Sitti. Guests of honor were Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, Quezon City Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista, Vinzons’ daughter Carolina Vinzons-Gaite, and a representative of Senator Francis Pangilinan. The office of Pangilinan is donating a substantial amount to the project.

Programs were also held in the UP constituent universities to celebrate the UP Centennial.

(For photos of the ceremony, as well as the concert go to the official UP Centennial website)

From the UP Newsletter website

It was a star-studded extravaganza and a day of recognition for UP alumni who held a grand general homecoming at the Araneta Coliseum on June 21, 2008.

President Emerlinda R. Roman welcomed the alumni and lauded them for their untiring commitment to the University, especially in the celebration of its centennial.

Updating the alumni about the new UP Charter, Roman assured them of UP’s continued role as the National University. She stressed the alumni’s contribution in helping the University accomplish this role, which includes raising funds. Roman briefed the crowd on the many gatherings being held among alumni all over the world and her visits with alumni chapters in the country and in the United States. These visits have yielded huge donations and contributions to the University’s Centennial Fund Drive. “UP would not be what it is without you,” Roman said.

The Centennial Fund Drive is a project of the University and the UP Centennial Commission aimed at raising P5 billion for faculty development, maintenance and improvement of facilities, scholarship programs, and athletic training.

Directed by stage and screen icon Prof. Behn H. Cervantes of the Department of Speech Communication and Theater Arts, the homecoming was nothing short of spectacular. Former senator and broadcaster Orly Mercado and columnist Prof. Solita Collas Monsod were the program’s emcees.

Beyond the festivities, UP’s tradition of excellence, service, and leadership rang clear with the recognition of around 56 individual and family awards for outstanding alumni contributions to the Alma Mater and to the nation in various fields.

Speaking for the awardees, 2008 Most Distinguished Alumnus Chief Justice Reynato Puno, BSJ’62; LLB ’62, said that although the awardees may have received other awards, the awards given by UP mean so much more, coming from the Alma Mater and on the occasion of its centennial.

Puno also said, “I view our awards, not as personal achievements but the recognition of the UP soul and spirit in our beings. These awards are the manifestation of the spirit of the Oblation in our work.” Puno added that graduates of UP genuinely persevere in serving the nation, and that even had the alumni not received public acclaim, they “would have persevered in their work with the same passion and precision.”

Puno was recognized for his elegant and well-written decisions that greatly enriched Philippine jurisprudence, and for being the “leading constitutionalist of the Court,” a “true jurist” who wages lonely battles against conventional wisdom with his stirring dissents and insightful opinion.

In his closing remarks, Regent Ponciano H. Rivera thanked UP alumnus Jorge Araneta for letting the UPAA use the Araneta Coliseum gratis. He said that the alumni homecoming was not only “an opportunity to renew old ties,” it was also a chance for everyone to reflect on “who we were” and “what we have become.”

Special recognition
In celebration of UP’s centennial, this year’s UPAA awards had more than the usual categories.

Lifetime achievement awardees include Dr. Belinda A. Aquino, Dr. Natividad Crame-Rogers, and Justice Leonor Ines-Luciano. Dr. Aquino is a professor of Philippine studies at the University of Hawaii. She was vice president for public affairs of UP from 1989-1996, and was a faculty member at the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG). She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in English degree from UP. Dr. Crame-Rogers, who graduated from UP in 1949 with a degree in Philosophy, was lauded for her accomplishments in theater and contribution to Philippine art. She pioneered undergraduate specialization in drama and speech, theater, and the performing arts; and played lead roles. Justice Luciano was recognized for her service in the judiciary, in the legislature as a sectoral representative for women, and in civic work. She obtained her Bachelor of Law from UP in 1941.

Other awardees honored for their achievements and work in their respective fields were Jessica Soho for communication and information; Dr. Amefil M. Agbayani, Felicisima M. de los Angeles-Bautista, Dr. Cayetano C. Pomares, and Dr. Teresita V. Ramos for academic leadership; Ms. Florencia G. Casanova Dorotan, Dr. Lily Cenizal-Fojas, and Dr. Jose Antonio U. Socrates, Jr. for community empowerment/service; Engr. Jose Martin O. Aliling for responsible corporate governance; Prof. Ruperta R. Asuncion, Ms. Edita M. Carolino-Garcia, Ms. Ofelia Gelvezon-Tequi, and Dr. Edsel H. Moscoso for culture and arts; Orlando B. Vea for entrepreneurship/employment generation; Dr. Perry S. Ong and Atty. Antonio A. Oposa for environmental conservation and sustainable development; Amb. Rosario Gonzalez-Manalo for gender equality/women empowerment; Atty. Loida M. Nicolas-Lewis for global entrepreneurship; Dr. Benjamin D. Adapon, Dr. Manuel M. Dayrit, and Dr. Bernadette J. Madrid for health; Dr. Teofilo T. Bangayan, Deanna Lorenzana-Gregorio, and Juan Y. Solomon for poverty alleviation; Amb. Lilia R. Bautista, Dr. Carolina Garcia-Hernandez, and Amb. Rora H. Navarro-Tolentino for public service and good governance; Dr. Priscilla Chinte-Sanchez, Dr. Francisco C. Dimayuga, Dr. Hernani G. Golez, and Dr. Gisela Padilla-Concepcion for science and technology; and Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales, Justice Magdangal M. de Leon, and the late Justice Romeo A. Brawner for championing justice/judiciary.

The UPAA Presidential Awardee for Public Service in the international category was US Senator Judith Paulette Gutherz, while the UPAA International Alumni Achievers were Dr. Jorge G. Camara, Jose Dudley D. Diaz, and Luzviminda N. Sapin-Micabalo. The Presidential Awardees for service to the UPAA were Amb. Edgardo B. Espiritu, Danilo A. Gozo, and Regent Nelia Teodoro-Gonzalez.

Another award given was the UPAA Family Recognition for their outstanding work and support to the university. Those who received this were the Bañez-Perez, Consunji, David-Peczon, Flor, Gancayco, Kintanar, Lapus-Gozon, Lopez-Castillo, Lorenzana, Niguidula, Quiason, Tria, Valdez, and Virata families.

From the UP Newsletter

In UP Manila, a new Oblation statue was unveiled at the main gateway after a concelebrated mass at the PGH chapel. The CU also had a soft launch of a coffee-table book on its heritage, culture, and history and the launch of the Comprehensive Community Health Program’s book Reflections and Relevance. A model of the soon-to-rise UP Manila Museum and Archives was also unveiled.

The new UP Manila Oblation was an “interactive work by (UP Open University Chancellor Grace) Javier Alfonso with National Artist Guillermo Tolentino’s UP Oblation.” It stands on a pedestal with designs of flowing fabric interspersed with leaves and the symbols of the colleges. The fabric symbolizes scholarship, while the leaves symbolize nature. Trees were planted around the new Oblation Plaza in front of Rizal Hall, Padre Faura.

UP Los Baños marked the UP Foundation Day with tree planting, an unveiling ceremony of the markers of 12 heritage trees, a convocation program, and a welcome parade and concert for the UP Centennial freshmen.

Horticultural tree species were planted at 6:30 a.m. along Kanluran and Silangan roads. The 12 trees were the first to be identified under a project which highlights the campus as a living museum of heritage trees. To help identify the heritage trees, Chancellor Luis Rey I. Velasco created an ad hoc Committee on Heritage Trees in 2006.

Around 1,900 “centennial” freshmen were welcomed in an early breakfast and convocation in the morning and a concert at Baker Hall in the evening.

The UP Visayas will have a weeklong celebration of the Centennial in July. On July 22, there will be a motorcade, photo exhibits, a food sale during the day, and a fireworks display and “Spirit of ‘67 Concert” in the evening. July 23 will see traditional Filipino games and a nostalgia theater featuring a montage of excerpts from the past plays played by alumni. July 24 will feature “Pasundayag,” a stage presentation by the UPV faculty, REPS, and staff. On July 25, the activities lined up are a centennial tree planting ceremony, a parade, a lunch, live band concert, an “Oblation” body paint contest, the launch of the “Save the Old High School Building Project,” and the fashion show titled “Hinugyaw.”

The UPV Alumni and Faculty Centennial (1908-2008) Homecoming will be held at the Iloilo Grand Hotel on July 26.

In UP Baguio, a special flag raising program was held at the Oblation Plaza, followed by the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Oblation Walkway. The community also celebrated the Centennial Day with a tree planting on campus.

(For photos of the CUs’ Centennial day activities go to the official UP Centennial website)

From the UP Newsletter website

A mammoth motorcade originating from UP Manila and joined by contingents from UP Diliman, the UP Diliman (UPDEPP) Extension Program in Pampanga, UP Los Baños, UP Visayas, UP Mindanao, and UP Open University along University Avenue started the celebrations after lunch.

As the contingents amassed along University Avenue and the Oblation Plaza in UPD, helicopters hovered low and scattered confetti, flower petals, and balloons among the crowd. The gathering was also highlighted by two batches of sky-divers from the military’s Special Action Force and the police, bearing the emblems of the different UP constituent units and congratulatory banners. All executed a perfect landing on the open field beside Plaridel Hall.

Throughout the day, the rock song “UP Ang Galing Mo,” especially composed for the Centennial,blared from speakers, while projectors flashed highlights of the activities live on at least four giant screens installed along the University Avenue and the Oblation Plaza. Intermittently, the newly-restored Carillon rang out with tunes being played by Prof. Jerry Dadap, one of the first carilloneurs of the University. Meanwhile, alumni, mostly dressed in Centennial t-shirts, happily lost themselves in mini-reunions with old friends.

As the parade ended, a group of stu-dents blew ten tambulis while a barrage of kwitis rocketed to the sky to signal the start of a program in front of the Oblation Plaza. Torches were then carried around the 22-kilometer Academic Oval by a hundred alumni, University officials, and students, accompanied by a 100-gun sa-lute from the UP Rifle Team. The torch relay ended in the lighting of the Centennial Cauldron right in front of the Oblation Plaza.

According to Alumni Regent Ponciano Rivera Jr., concurrently president of UP Alumni Association (UPAA), the flame symbolizes UP’s quest to learn more and be of service to mankind. This respon-sibility is passed from generation to gene-ration. The UPAA, the main organizer of the grand Centennial kick-off, believes that the flame will burn eternally in the hearts of UP alumni.

The first torch-bearer was Civil Engineer Fernando Javier from Baguio, an alumnus (Batch 1933) who turned a hundred years old on December 22, 2007. “I am really glad that I’m still alive to witness this. I’m proud and elated that I will join UP again,” Javier said in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer before the kick-off ceremonies. He had been a civil servant, a survivor of the Bataan Death March, an Engineering professor in Afghanistan and Korea, and an environment worker in Guam. He now busies himself with agriculture and horticulture in northern Luzon. Without the aid of a cane, he was able to walk the entire length of the Academic Oval together with other torch-bearers who included University officials, former UP presidents, students, national scientists and artists, and other alumni, such as actor Richard Gomez, broadcast journalist Che-Che Lazaro, music pioneer Ryan Cayabyab, teenage Physics professor Mikaela Irene Fudolig, Senators Franklin Drilon and Richard Gordon, and Commission on Higher Education chief Romulo Neri.

The 100th torch-bearer was President Emerlinda R. Roman, who was tasked with lighting the flame of the Centennial Cauldron with the Centennial torch. The cauldron, designed by Joel Ajero, 1969 Chemical Engineering graduate, stands on three slender pillars representing the three core values of the University: excellence, service, and leadership. Springing from the base is a tree with seven flowers representing the seven CUs. After lighting the Centennial flame, Roman declared the UP Centennial Year open.

The cheering crowd then burst into singing UP Naming Mahal, and was afterwards entertained by the UP Pep Squad. Then, the participants were invited to the UPD Amphitheater for the Centennial kick-off concert organized by UP Diliman.

Before an audience that filled the entire amphitheater to overflowing, the concert featured the UPMadrigal Singers, UP Pep Squad, UP Jazz Orchestra, UP Concert Chorus, UP Symphonic Orchestra, UP Symphonic Band, Ryan Cayabyab, and Nanette Inventor. A grand fireworks display, sponsored by Beta Epsilon, capped the day-long festivities. (Prof. Tessa Jazmines, Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, Bernice P.Varona, and Francis Paolo Quina)

From the UP Newsletter website

President Roman’s first visit to the America as U.P. President in 2005 saw her attending the U.P. Alumni Association in America’s (UPAAA) Annual Convention in San Diego, California, which enabled her to meet with alumni from all over the United States. From this visit, President Roman was able to raise close to $ 200,000.00 in pledges and donations, including a faculty grant and a professorial chair from Ms. Evelina Galang and Ms. Alma Onrubia respectively, which was channeled through FUPFA.

During the same visit, President Roman was able to talk with Mr. Francisco L. Juan, then sitting as Executive Director of FUPFA, which lead to discussion about the revitalization of FUPFA as a corporate entity.

In 2006, the President flew to Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, where she was the guest of honor of U.P. Medical Alumni Society in America’s (UPMASA) annual Alumni Homecoming and Convention. Unlike her first visit, where President Roman only visited with alumni’s in California, this visit saw her across America.

She visited with alumni associations in New York, New Jersey, Chicago, and San Francisco and brought the message of UP’s upcoming centennial. In Chicago, Illinois, President Roman spoke at the Philippine Consulate and joined the members and officers of the UPAA Greater Chicago (UPAAGC) in celebrating their 35th anniversary. President Roman once again met with the officers of FUPFA to discuss its status.

She was able to gather a little over $ 250,000.00 in donations and pledges on her 2006 visit. Ms. Josefina Wee Sit and the Carangal Family chose to channel their pledges through FUPFA.

President Roman expanded the scope of her 2007 tour, touching base with alumni, not only in the United States, but also in Canada and Hong-Kong. First in her agenda was a meeting with the Board of Trustees at the Westin Hotel in San Francisco. During the meeting, President Roman was officially appointed as chairperson of FUPFA’s Board of Trustees, along with a new set of officers.

The Board reviewed FUPFA’s current status and reaffirmed their commitment to aid UP’s development projects, especially in light of the centennial in 2008.

From San Francisco, President Roman flew to Canada and visited with alumni there, then returned to America, where she visited the University of Michigan and met its president, Sue Coleman. The president also passed by Florida and Washington D.C., before flying to Hong-Kong, the last stop of her tour.

On this three-country tour, President Roman raised over $ 320,000.00 in donations and pledges, including a professorial chair pledge by Ms. Reda Labite through FUPFA.

Former UP President Senator Edgardo J. Angara administered the oath of office to the new set of Board of Trustees for the Friends of UP Foundation in America. The oath-taking ceremony was held during a meeting of the FUPFA Board on August 31 in San Francisco.

Senator Angara, who also serves as the chairperson of the UP Centennial Commission, was instrumental in the establishment of FUPFA in 1982 when he visited with UP alumni in America.

Aside from the oath-taking ceremony, the meeting saw the turnover of records from outgoing FUPFA Executive Director Francisco L. Juan to the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Evelina Galang.

Juan received a Certificate of Recognition for his exemplary service to UP through his role in FUPFA. He, in turn, announced two new substantial donations through FUPFA from the alumni: $ 8,000.00 from the Pharmacy alumni, and an anonymous $ 50,000.00 donation.

The members of the FUPFA Board shown in the photo are President Emerlinda R. Roman (Chairperson), Polly Santiago-Cortez (Vice-Chairperson), Julieta Zarate-Hudson (Secretary), Evelina Galang (Chief Financial Officer), Mae Echanis, Gigi C. Cervero, Marietta Maligalig-Ison, Francisco L. Juan, Crisostomo B. Garcia. Other board members (not shown in photo) are Alma Hidalgo Onrubia, Dr. Vicente R. Limcaoco, Dr. Archie B. M. Laaano, Dr. Zenda G. Lat, Leopoldo M. Clemente, Jr. and Juan G. Colla, Jr.

Galang, meanwhile, was presented with a Certificate of Donation for the $ 15,000.00 she donated to establish the Angelo and Amparo Galang Centennial Faculty Grant for the College of Engineering.

During the meeting FUPFA agreed on a target amount of $ 500,000.00 for various projects for the centennial, such as the establishment of more professorial chairs and faculty grants.

The FUPFA Board consists of President Emerlinda R. Roman (Chairperson), Polly Santiago-Cortez (Vice-Chairperson), Julieta Zarate-Hudson (Secretary), Evelina Galang (Chief Financial Officer), Mae Echanis, Gigi C. Cervero, Marietta Maligalig-Ison, Alma Hidalgo Onrubia, Francisco L. Juan, Crisostomo B. Garcia, Dr. Vicente R. Limcaoco, Dr. Archie B.M. Laano, Dr. Zenda G. Lat, Leopoldo M. Clemente, Jr., and Juan G. Collas, Jr.

New donations through FUPFA

Senator Angara and President Roman were in the US to attend the biennial UP Alumni Association in America (UPAAA) Grand Assembly and Convention in San Francisco on September 1 to 3.

Before heading to San Francisco, President Roman visited with alumni across California, along the way receiving numerous pledges and donations to be administered by FUPFA.

In Los Angeles, outgoing UP Alumni Association of Greater Los Angeles (UPAAGLA) president Francis Mamaril made a pledge to set up the Arturo P. and Aurora Pizaña Centennial Professorial Chair for Science and Technology. The first installment of $ 15,000.00 was made payable to Friends of UP Foundation in America (FUPFA), with the remaining balance to be handed over in time for the centennial.

During the UPAAA Gala Dinner at the Hilton in San Francisco, Olive Rocha gave a check in the amount of $ 2,000.00 for the Centennial Fellows, Michael and Patricia Araneta gave half of their $ 1,000.00 pledge to the University Library through FUPFA.

UPAA Central California president Dr. Helen Reyes gave a check in the amount of $ 8,500.00, five thousand of which will be used for UP Mindanao, with the remaining amount to be used for various centennial projects.