Alumni News

Full text of UP President Concepcion's Letter Reply To The DND

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Alumni

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

"Town Hall" consultations for development plans

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Alumni

2020 CMDP COVER RESIZE 50UP Mindanao constituents assembled on various occasions in recent months for online “town hall” consultations over various campus development plans. 

On July 21, a town hall consultation discussed a proposed City Hospital that the Davao City government wants to erect in the district, hopefully on the campus. Chancellor Digal narrated the origins of the proposal and how it could align with UP Mindanao’s mandates and plans for a Mindanao Health Initiatives, consisting of a proposed college of medicine and an infectious diseases research center. The chancellor also shared the support given by the UP System administration and President Danilo Concepcion, particularly the appointment of Executive Vice-President Teodoro Herbosa, a highly-placed medical professional, as the consultant to the hospital project, and the support of UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla and UP College of Medicine Dean Charlotte Chiong. The resulting discussion dwelled on the process by which UP Mindanao could manage the proposal.     

On October 6, the Office of the Chancellor organized a town hall consultation for the draft Campus Master Development Plan. Chancellor Digal provided the context through a presentation of his UP Mindanao Strategic Plan 2019-2023 and its three strategic themes: for students, “Molding Learners into Leaders;” for research “Transforming Insights into Impacts;” and “Building a Campus into a Community,” for university constituents and partners. The Campus Planning and Development Office presented the proposed land use plans for the campus and specific areas that were the subject of discussions. On October 9, the chancellor held a similar consultation for external stakeholders: UP Mindanao Foundation chairman Sebastian Angliongto and vice-chair John Gaisano, alumni Guido Alfredo Delgado and Harvey Lanticse, Department of Science and Technology-Region XI regional director Dr. Anthony Sales, the Department of Public Works and Highways officials, and Barangay Mintal Councilor Bargamento were among the participants.           

On October 12, the Department of Tourism - Region XI (DOT-XI) and UP Mindanao organized a town hall consultation for a proposed Arts and Culture Hub building and activity center that DOT-XI hopes to erect within the UP Mindanao campus. The project is a joint initiative of the DOT-XI and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).  Both internal and external stakeholders of UP Mindanao listened to DOT-XI Regional Director Tanya Rabat-Tan and her team present the physical and financial plans, and artist Nestor Horfilla who presented the activity plans. Chancellor Larry Digal gave his review of the DOT-XI areas of activity that could fit UP Mindanao’s mandates and programs, namely, cultural village development, schools of living tradition, heritage education, heritage management, and creative industries. The DOST-XI director, Dr. Sales, suggested that the project look beyond the Davao region to the entire Mindanao and be part of an ecosystem of Mindanao cultural and social science networks.   

On October 14, 2020, at 1:00-4:00 PM, UP Mindanao will host an online forum on “Bridging the Health Care Gaps In Mindanao." Health officers and workers of various local government units and agencies in Mindanao and university constituents will attend. The consultation is part of the plan to establish the proposed UP Mindanao College of Medicine.

Participants in the various town hall consultations gave constructive suggestions and words of collective wisdom. The planners will incorporate the inputs into the revised plans, and the documentation of the consultations will ensure that the implementation process will reflect the various stakeholders’ sentiments and well-being in the future life of the development projects.

 

"Pagkilala sa UPMin Class of 2020"

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Alumni

 
118423801 4357911297614771 6858332153566495908 oRZD40"Pagkilala sa UPMin Class of 2020":
the online tribute to the Graduates of Academic Year 2019-2020.
 
Also available in PDF and EPUB versions.
 
 
 
Video presentation will premiere on 7 September 2020, 07:00 PM in UPMin's YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/UniversityofthePhilippinesMindanao).
 
Paglingkuran ang Sambayanan!
Mabuhay ang Pag-asa ng Bayan!
Padayon, UPMin Class of 2020!
 
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"Pagkilala" is a joint production by the Commencement Exercises Adhoc Committee, Office of the University Registrar, University Information Committee, BACMA Sibya Media Production Unit, Radyo Iskolar, and UP Salida.

 

Letter from the Chancellor: Bayanihan for our personnel

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Alumni

03 April 2020
 
Bayanihan for Our Non-Government Service, 
Security, and Sanitation Personnel
 
Dear UP Mindanao constituents,
 
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of many in our city; and with the impending implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) from 4 to 19 April 2020, all of us will be experiencing difficulty in terms of mobility and access to essentials such as food and medicine.   
 
As government employees, whether regular or UP contractual, we are fortunate to receive financial assistance from the university and the national government to help us during this time of difficulty. However, many of our frontliners like our security and sanitation personnel, as well as our non-government service (NGS) personnel, do not qualify for these benefits.
 
Currently, we have a total of 79 beneficiaries, comprising of 28 security and 15 sanitation personnel—one of them cooks for our students stranded in the dorm and nearby boarding houses—and 36 non-government service (NGS) personnel (7 of whom serve as part of the skeletal force).
 
Hence, during its 31 March 2020 special online meeting, the Executive Committee has committed to pool funds to provide financial support for them. We are extending this initiative to all of you so we can gather more and give more to our beneficiaries on top of the funds already solicited and distributed by the All UP Academic Employees Union.
 
If you wish to take part in this initiative, you may drop the amount at the designated drop box at Cash Office or deposit/transfer the amount to the DBP bank account of Ms. Emma Ruth Caalaman (account name) with account number 9155457539. For your convenience, you may register your DBP payroll account to perform online banking/fund transfer at https://www.bancnetonline.com/
 
Periodic updates will be provided by the Vice Chancellor for Administration on the status of the fund drive.
 
Many of our frontliners and NGS staff have become an integral part of the UP Mindanao family. And as such, we cannot leave them behind in the midst of this pandemic. Let us join together in the spirit of bayanihan to help each and every single member of our community survive this pandemic.
 
Thank you for your generosity! Keep safe always!
 

Sincerely,
 
Prof. Larry N. Digal, PhD
Chancellor

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