University Library Report
Student Life
Full text of UP President Concepcion's Letter Reply To The DND
19 January 2021
Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana
Department of National Defense
Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City
Dear Secretary Lorenzana,
I am acknowledging receipt of your letter of 15 January 2021 informing me of the unilateral abrogation by your office of the agreement signed on 30 June 1989 by then DND Secretary Fidel V. Ramos and then UP President Jose V. Abueva—an agreement that, you will recall, established certain norms and protocols governing relations between the University and military and police forces.
I must express our grave concern over this abrogation, as it is totally unnecessary and unwarranted, and may result in worsening rather than improving relations between our institutions, and detract from our common desire for peace, justice, and freedom in our society.
That agreement was forged with the formalities that attend the execution of agreements, imbued with the highest sense of fidelity of the parties. It was grounded in an atmosphere of mutual respect, which we were able to maintain for 30 years through the observance in good faith of its provisions. With few exceptions, protocols were observed and any problems or misunderstandings were amicably and reasonably resolved. The agreement never stood in the way of police and security forces conducting lawful operations within our campuses. Entry was always given when necessary to law enforcers within their mandate.
We regret that the agreement was abrogated unilaterally, without the prior consultation that would have addressed the concerns you raised in your letter. Instead of instilling confidence in our police and military, your decision can only sow more confusion and mistrust, given that you have not specified what it is that you exactly aim to do or put in place in lieu of the protections and courtesies afforded by the agreement.
Perhaps this will be a good opportunity to emphasize that we sought and secured that agreement not to evade or weaken the law, but to protect the climate of academic freedom—guaranteed by the Constitution—that makes intellectual inquiry and human and social advancement possible. We want to maintain UP as a safe haven for all beliefs and forms of democratic expression. In that, all the signatories to the agreement believed and bound themselves to uphold.
Our University community does not and cannot fear the fair and speedy enforcement of the law, and we value and appreciate the contributions of our uniformed services to our safety and security. We do not condone sedition, armed insurrection, or the use of violence for political ends.
At the same time, especially given our experience of martial law, we must reject any form or semblance of militarization on our campuses, which will have a chilling effect deleterious to academic freedom. This abrogation endangers the goodwill necessary for both of us to achieve our mission as responsible members of the same national family.
Our police and military authorities should have no fear of academic freedom. Indeed UP has bred rebels and nonconformists—as well as it has bred presidents, senators, congressmen, and business, civic, and even military leaders. All the world’s great universities have produced the same range of thinkers and doers. By and large, intellectual and political dissidents in UP have always been in the minority, but it is a critical minority that has historically been vital to the maintenance of a healthy democracy.
Left in peace, UP will continue to be a major contributor to the country’s development and to its national leadership in all fields. Its most recent international ranking—65th among the 489 universities in Asia evaluated by the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings—attests to the high quality of its achievements.
That performance, Mr. Secretary, is the result of its exercise of academic freedom—the freedom to think, to probe, to question, to find and propose better solutions.
May I urge you, therefore, to reconsider and revoke your abrogation, and request further that we meet to discuss your concerns in the shared spirit of peace, justice, and the pursuit of excellence.
Yours sincerely,
Danilo L. Concepcion
President
UP launches online portal for first-year applicants for AY 2021-2022
By Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta, UP Media and Public Relations Office
Applicants for first-year admission at the University of the Philippines (UP) for Academic Year (AY) 2021-2022 can now access the online portal upadmissionsonline.up.edu.ph to submit their applications.
Before accessing the UP online admissions portal, applicants are enjoined to visit upcollegeadmissions.up.edu.ph for preparatory information and instructions as well as the latest announcements. After the applicants have read the pertinent information on this website, they will be directed to the online application portal.
Online submission of applications
For safety reasons and in compliance with the IATF’s community quarantine guidelines, the UP Office of Admissions (OAdms) is implementing a No Walk-In Policy. Instead, all applicants are strongly encouraged to apply via the online portal. However, while UP encourages online accomplishment and submission, it is cognizant of technological limitations and will continue to coordinate with concerned high schools for alternative modes of submission.
To minimize exposure to the coronavirus, however, all forms shall be submitted online. Applicants shall accomplish Form 1 (Personal Data Sheet) electronically and upload their photo and electronic signature. The names of the applicants will be sent to their high schools for batch processing of grade submission starting January 18, 2021. High schools shall be notified and then be requested to log on to the Grades Submission link to accomplish Form 2 (High School Records) on behalf of the applicants.
The online admissions applications for UP are being done in light of the unanimous decision by the UP System’s University Councils (UCs) that there will be no UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) for AY 2021-2022 applicants due to health and logistical issues brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The UCs further approved an additional assessment by academic units to qualify for a degree program, if deemed necessary. Applicants will be notified of such assessment or other additional requirements after the evaluation of their High School Records.
General information on admissions
The UP OAdms has made a General Information Bulletin on Freshman Admissions (AY 2021-2022) available on both the website and the online portal.
Admission into UP is very selective due to high demand. While they come from very diverse backgrounds, applicants to UP are all ranked according to indicators of academic preparedness for university life.
In the absence of the UPCAT, a composite of the final grades in Grade 8, 9, 10 and first semester of Grade 11 shall be the basis to determine the UP admission grade (UPG). Specific degree programs may request for additional requirements to qualify for admission, if deemed necessary. To implement the policy of democratic access, UP also considers socio-economic and geographic factors in its admission process.
Selection for admission to a campus is based on the applicant’s UPG, campus quota, and/or cut-off grade. A successful applicant can receive an offer of admission to only one of his/her UP campus of choice.
The successful applicants for a given campus are ranked according to grade predictors and quotas of their chosen degree programs. Some degree programs are more competitive due to their high demand. Applicants should choose only degree programs they are interested in. If an applicant is not successful in his/her first choice of campus, the process continues in order of priority of his/her remaining choices.
Filipino public high school graduates who are in the top ten of their graduating class may apply for freshman automatic admission for AY 2021-2022, as provided by Republic Act No. 10648 or the Iskolar ng Bayan Law of 2014. The law also requires that applicants comply with other admission requirements of the University and enroll in a UP campus that is in the same region as their high school.
For more details and instructions, please visit upcollegeadmissions.up.edu.ph.
For assistance and concerns regarding the online submission of application, and to prevent the spread of misinformation, the University would like to remind the general public to get their information only from the UP Office of Admissions at:
Landline: (02) 8981-8500 local 3827 / 3828 / 3830 / 3831
Cellphone: +63 918 904 9195
Facebook Messenger Helpdesk (8:00 am – 11:00 pm): facebook.com/UPSystemOfficeOfAdmissions