In celebration of the 28th anniversary of the University of the Philippines Mindanao, the School of Management invites the public to attend the 16th UP Mindanao Supply Chain Management Forum with the theme Agribusiness-led Inclusive Value Chain Development for Smallholder Farming Systems in the Philippines. This will be on March 17, 2023, from 8:30 AM to 12 Noon via Zoom. The speakers are from the Australian Centre for International Research (ACIAR) funded project AGB 2018 196 (IVC Philippines).

Ms. Michaela Cosjin, an International Development Researcher from Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the IVC Philippines’ Project Leader, will present the overview of the IVC project. Meanwhile, Prof. Miko Mariz C. Castro, an Assistant Professor from the School of Management-University of the Philippines Mindanao (SOM), and Ms. Hadasha Bongat, an Instructor from the Department of Business Management-Visayas State University (VSU), will share the Rapid Marketing Assessment of coffee and selected vegetables.

Another resource speaker, Mr. Anton Palo, a General Manager from Foodlink Advocacy Cooperative and the in-country coordinator of the IVC project, will present “Pangandoy: A method to capture farmers' aspirations, burdens, and coping strategies”. Lastly, Dr. Wendy Merrit, a Research Fellow, at Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University will give a lecture on “Integrated Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (I-MEL): a systems lens for evaluation and learning in the IVC Philippines project.”

Registration is FREE via bit.ly/16thUPMinSCMF. For more information, contact the School of Management through email at  and tel: (63-82) 295-2188. To know more about the project, visit the link at https://www.aciar.gov.au/project/agb-2018-196.

The discussion was led (in the above photo, left-right) by Prof. Cleto L. Nañola Jr. of the University of the Philippines Mindanao, Prof. Kent E. Carpenter of the Old Dominion University, with Dr. Mudjekeewis Santos of the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, and Prof. Richard Muallil (not in photo) of the Mindanao State University Tawi-Tawi. Dr. Santos, in his talk, discussed the importance of having more research about fish biodiversity in establishing better protocols.

The discussion was followed by the soft launch of “Data Collection and Analyses for Reef Fish Biology,” a book edited by Dr. Cleto L. Nanola Jr. and Maybelle Fortaleza, which hopes to guide independent researchers in their own academic ventures. 

Later in the event was the ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Agreement for Educational and Scientific Cooperation between UP Mindanao and Davao del Norte State College. The partnered institutions, through the MOA, aim to implement the Applied Biodiversity Research for Holistic Advancements in Mindanao (ABRAHAM). The said program aims to develop an information and database system for Fish Morphology and DNA information about the Marine Fisheries in the Davao Region. This program also aims to create an open-access information system that will house and feature marine life information of studied organisms by local experts through the Marine Biodiversity Database (MaBiDa) Project.

By James G. Pangan

UP Mindanao is one of the Higher Education Institution (HEI) partners of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Innovation for Social Impact Partnership Project (ISIP Project). As such, it is one of the Universities to undergo a Visiting Professor Program organized by ISIP. The objectives of the Visiting Professor Program are to further capacitate HEIs as strategic hubs for innovation and social impact and to support the growth and improvement of University-based startup enterprises with a clear social impact. 

The Visiting Professor Program is an online engagement organized by ISIP. Asst. Prof. Miguel Guillermo is UPMin's faculty focal person. The 2-week engagement, on Feb. 27 to March 3, and March 13 to 17,  will feature activities such as dialogues, teaching clinics, and workshops for students and the TBI staff. Activities are from Monday to Friday from 8-11 am for the 2 weeks. 

For February 28, 2023, the Visiting Professor is Dr. Esther Obonyo. She will gather insights into UPMin's strategic direction towards Innovation and Social Impact. 

Dr. Obonyo's CV: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rWiQBF14UTeCD8I_qeFF5iaJLbjhdfa8/view?usp=share_link

Download the UPMin StrategicPlan: https://bit.ly/3WbH02s

Asst. Prof. Kim Dianne Ligue (left) and Chancellor Lyre Anni Murao cut the ribbon to open the Scholarship Fair

Asst. Prof. Ligue receives her certificate of appreciation from OSA director Maria Stella Salazar. (right)

The Office of Student Affairs opened its Scholarship Fair for students on February 22, 2023. Chancellor Lyre Anni Murao and Asst. Prof. Kim Dianne Ligue cut the ribbon to open the Fair. Chancellor Murao invited the students to read up and avail of the scholarship programs available. She said the benefits of scholarships will relieve part of the student's burden of making ends meet. "You know very well the challenges of being a student. There are many students who are having difficulty and we want them to continue studying. The university is continuing to find ways and opportunities to help students meet their daily needs and so be able to focus on their studies," she said.        

Asst. Prof. Ligue, a UPMin alumna and current faculty member of the Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science, was the guest speaker. "When I entered UP Mindanao," she said, "it became soon evident that I needed assistance to continue my education.I hunted for scholarships, almost literally, to save my life."

She related her challenges in applying for and acquiring scholarships from the CHED, Oplan Kaalam, and the DOST until she completed her studies and graduated.

"I felt privileged in the way I had acquired my education. So personally, I did take it to the extreme a little bit and declared to myself that I will spend the rest of my life contributing back to our country using the education I acquired from all these scholarships," she said.

"I am sure you will be awarded the scholarships that you apply for. And when you do, I hope that every once in a while, like when you’re in the shower or on a long jeepney ride, you would try to imagine the ways that you can express your gratitude by contributing to our country," she said.

 Student Affairs Director Ma. Stella Salazar said the Fair also introduces the Adopt-a-Scholar program and the Bahay Kubo student kitchen. "We also seek donors for the Adopt-a-Student program to provide meals, housing, and transportation allowances," she said. "The Bahay Kubo project will create a kitchen and a vegetable garden for the students' sustainable food source," she said.