A view of the delegations on the north side of the football field

A view of the delegations at the south side of the football field

VP and Education Secretary Sara Duterte delivers her message

VCAA Annabelle Novero and VCA Leo Manuel Estana view the parade alongside fellow guests

For the second time in its history, UP Mindanao hosted the Opening Ceremonies of the Davao Region Athletic Association (DAVRAA). This was for the DAVRAA 2024 Meet, held at the Davao City-UP Sports Complex in the UP Mindanao campus, Mintal, Davao City. The Department of Education Region XI and the Davao City local government unit co-organized DAVRAA 2024, which was conceived with the theme "One Team, One Dream: Shaping Filipino Sports Champions." 

The DAVRAA holds sports events for student-athletes from elementary and secondary public schools in the provinces of Davao de Oro, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, and Davao del Norte and the cities of Davao, Samal, Panabo, Mati, Tagum, and Digos. The winners will comprise the Davao Region delegation to the Palarong Pambansa (National Games) 2024, which will be held in July in Cebu City.   

The DAVRAA Meet games will be played from April 1-7, 2024, in 24 schools and sports facilities in Davao City and one in Tagum City.

The delegations will compete in arnis, athletics, baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, chess, football,  aero gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, tennis, table tennis, boxing, taekwondo, archery, badminton, futsal, sepak takraw, pencat silat, billiards, goal ball, bocce, wushu, dancesport, swimming, and wrestling.  

UP Mindanao will host the football, volleyball, and archery events. 

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte led the guests in the opening ceremony, which included provincial governors, city mayors, and congressmen, including Davao City 3rd District Representative Isidro Ungab.

In her message, VP Duterte asked the student-athletes to "make us proud," while she advised them to maintain good health throughout the meet, stay hydrated, and not hesitate to seek help when experiencing extreme heat due to the weather. She thanked the parents and organizers for supporting the young athletes.

The UP Mindanao community welcomed the visitors and the prospective students on its bulletins. Vice Chancellor For Academic Affairs Prof. Annabelle Novero and Vice Chancellor for Administration Assistant Professor Leo Estaña represented the university at the ceremony. Previously, UP Mindanao had hosted the DAVRAA 2019, as well as the 2019 Palarong Pambansa, in the DC-UP Sports Complex. 

A student asks a question in the "Web3 Goes To Campus" seminar

The Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science (DMPCS) delivered the first-ever “Web3 Goes to Campus“ seminar for students on March 25, 2024. The seminar was a product of the DMPCS’ Research Development and Extension Committee’s (RDE) collaboration with the Davao DeFi Community (DDC).  

Mr. Ruben Lacumba Jr. responds in the Open Forum

DDC founder Mr. Ruben Lacumba Jr. introduced his group and its acronym, DeFi, which stands for Decentralized Finance. This concept is linked to the Blockchain, the main topic of the seminar. He likewise introduced Archway Connect, a network to which the DDC belongs. 

The speakers and facilitators of the School of Management's Knowledge Management Initiatives

The UP Mindanao School of Management (SOM) delivered its "Knowledge Management Initiatives," a lecture forum, online on March 18, 2024. The forum discussed cacao farming in Davao, the resources in Mt. Apo Natural Park, and mango production in Samal Island.

Instructor Francis Levi Durano presented their team's research on the "Technical efficiency of cocoa farms at varying elevation levels in Davao City, Philippines: Implications to sustainable upland farming systems." Cocoa is a high-value crop in the Philippines, and their findings showed that increased input costs and the number of trees per hectare are key factors in production efficiency. Also, older and more developed farms and a farmer with a family contribute to farm efficiency. However, farms with higher elevations and older farmers are prone to inefficiency. He stated that the study contributes to Sustainable Development Goal #12, Sustainable Production and Consumption, and SDG #15, Life on Land.

State Auditors Joyz Albert, Helena Valdez, and Rosette Reyno

UP Mindanao unit heads and representatives and the COA auditors

UP Mindanao officials and the resident Commission on Audit team met on March 11, 2024, at the UP Mindanao Gaisano Room for an annual COA Exit Conference. The Exit Conference is held between the COA and its auditee institution at the end of every fiscal year to discuss audit observations and recommendations. The COA panel was led by State Auditor V Helena L. Valdez, Regional Supervising Auditor, and supported by State Auditor III Rosette G. Reyno, OIC Audit Team Leader, and State Auditor II Joyz Emarie S. Albert, Audit Team Member, and UPMin COA Office Staff Arnel Narisma.

The UP Mindanao delegation was composed of unit heads and representatives led by VC for Administration Leo Manuel Estana and Michelle Panis, Supply & Property Management Office's Brenda Acuna and Hazel Montecalvo, Accounting Office's Zenaida Calatrava and Jennifer Nonod, Cash Office's Emma Ruth Caalaman, Phil. Genome Center's Marian Luayon, Human Resources' Lynda Buenaobra, Campus Planning's Jean Marie Juanga and Oliver Telmo, Student Affairs' Maria Stella Salazar, and Office of Research's May Anne Mata. 

The COA team gave observations and advice on 2023 transactions, to which the UPMin team intermittently asked for clarifications and gave some explanations.