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UP Mindanao Bulletin, 18 April-3 May 2020

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Forums

UP MINDANAO BULLETIN

18 April-3 May 2020

CHANCELLOR’S MESSAGE

To the UP Mindanao community:

In this issue of the bulletin, we summarize updates on the various COVID-19 initiatives of the university. I am glad that based on the survey from the Office of Student Affairs and Human Resources and Development Office, UP Mindanao constituents remain COVID-free. We will continue to exert efforts to monitor the well-being of everyone in the coming weeks as we ready ourselves for the lifting of the Enhanced Community Quarantine. For now, our priority is ensuring that our stranded students can go home to their families, and the Office of Student Affairs has been doing a tremendous amount of work to coordinate with various local and national government agencies to make this happen.

Looking to the future, however, I urge everyone to read DBM’s National Budget Circular 580, “Adoption of Economy Measures in Government due to the Health Emergency Situation,” which will have serious ramifications for our operations in the university in the coming months (Read the text here: https://bit.ly/35m5yMK). There will be a lot of discussions in the coming weeks, and we will provide you with relevant information as soon as they are available.

Stay safe! We will get through this together.

—Prof. Larry N. Digal, PhD, Chancellor

UP MINDANAO COVID-19 CASE TRACKER (as of 3 May 2020)

Constituents	Respondents	Suspect Case*	Probable Case*	Confirmed Case*	Non-COVID 19 (Negative Test)*
Students ¹	365	0	0	0	0
Teaching staff ²	54	0	0	0	0
Non-teaching staff ²	48	0	0	0	0
Non-UP contractuals ²	12	0	0	0	1
Based on Student Tracking Survey of the Office of Student Affairs (as of 4 May 2020) ² Based on Personnel Tracking Survey of the Human Resources and Development Office (as of 3 May 2020)

*NOTE: The Department of Health has issued a new case classification based on additional epidemiological information on COVID-19, adapting certain provisions of the WHO interim guidelines on global surveyance, in its Administrative Order no. 2020-0013 (LINK: https://bit.ly/2XFPO58).

UPDATE ON STRANDED STUDENTS

As per information from ASec. Atty. Vanessa Goc-Ong, Office of the Special Assistant to the President, and Atty. Joseph Encabo, head of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS), 28 out of 29 stranded students from Regions 10, 11, 12, and 13 in Mindanao will be brought home per batch within the week. PMS has been coordinating with the office of the provincial governors for the transfer and conducted an orientation to stranded students on May 5 (with OSA and Vice Chancellor Gomez).

Through the office of Councilor Mabel Acosta, 4 stranded students and 1 UPLB faculty have boarded a sweeper flight bound for Manila on 6 May 2020. (The UPLB faculty was in UP Mindanao for his thesis but was unable to go back home due to ECQ.) VC Gomez will chaperone and arrange for the transport of students from UP Mindanao to the airport. The LGUs of Cavite, Laguna, and Batangas will take charge of transporting the delegation from NAIA to their homes.

There are 3 stranded students from Palawan, Cebu, and Zamboanga who will be left behind because arrangements for their return are more complicated. Arrangements continue to be negotiated.

The Office of Student Affairs has facilitated the following requirements of the stranded students so they can go home:

- Quarantine Clearance: Two quarantine clearances are still pending since the students are no longer in Mintal; clearance need to be secured at their respective barangays.

- Laboratory test/Medical Certificate: The ones for those who took the sweeper flight received their medical certificates on May 4. Arrangements already made with Adventist Hospital for the laboratory tests and issuance of medical certificates for the other students.

- Parent’s authorization

OSA will continue monitoring the whereabouts of our students until they reach their destination.

UP MINDANAO COVID-19 INITIATIVES

Bayanihan for Non-Government Service, Security, and Sanitation Personnel

Last April 24, our security, sanitation, and qualified NGS personnel received financial assistance (in cash and in kind) from cash donations of our UP Mindanao employees totalling PhP 78,600. With the approval of the ExeCom, cash and in-kind assistance was distributed to 28 security, 15 sanitation, and 20 NGS personnel (4 have not yet been claimed). The university is very thankful to the generosity of our community in times of crisis.

Mental Health Helpline

UP Mindanao Mental Health Helpline provides free mental health and psychosocial support to our constituents. This initiative is organized by our Office of Student Affairs in partnership with agencies such as the Southern Philippines Medical Center, the Philippine Mental Health Association Inc.-Davao Chapter, the Psychological Consultancy Services, and the AUPAEU – UP Mindanao Project Tambayayong. At present, the support program has helped a total of 36 individuals who availed of its services. The program is ongoing and open to students and employees of the university.

STUDENTS: http://tiny.cc/UPMinMentalHealthHelpline

EMPLOYEES: http://tiny.cc/MentalHealthHelpline

PGC Mindanao and DRMC Diagnostic Lab

On 20 April 2020, medical technicians of Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC), Philippine Genome Center Mindanao (PGC Mindanao) laboratory staff, and volunteers have begun training in RNA and qPCR laboratory techniques as part of capacity building while engineering plans are being drawn up for the COVID-19 laboratory to be established in DRMC in Tagum. Last April 29, Maer Summit Group, our private sector partner, delivered to CSM a PCR machine and accessories and some 20 test kits for the proposed lab. (We are expecting additional testing kits from the Davao Chinese community.) The target date for completion of the lab in the DRMC site is mid-June. The draft Memorandum of Agreement between UP Mindanao and the LGUs and the private sector is being reviewed and circulated for comment.

Capacity Building

PGC Mindanao has received various requests for trainings on technical aspects and assistance on building a COVID-19 testing laboratory. Among those who are interested to avail of these trainings are the Brokenshire Integrated Health Ministries Inc. and Davao de Oro LGU, just to name a few.

Insights Dashboard

“COVID-19 Insights” is a dashboard and a Web-based platform developed by the Interdisciplinary Applied Modelling (IAM) laboratory, which aims to host big data and artificial intelligence models to enable the sharing and peer review of the models and comparison of results under different assumptions and scenarios to come up with more informed decisions. The link to the dashboard is given below:

https://upmindanao.shinyapps.io/covid19-insights-up-mindanao/

The Mindanao Development Authority has requested for a collaboration with UP Mindanao for the creation of COVID-19 forecasting models specifically for the Mindanao Island. The IAM lab, on the other hand, is seeking to establish linkages with the Department of Health XI, Southern Philippines Medical Center, and PAGASA to secure more data.

Alcohol Production

The Department of Food Science and Chemistry will lead a project for the production of rubbing alcohol in response to the scarcity of this product in the market, as reported by the Department of Trade and Industry. Establishment of a pilot-scale production plant or using preexisting facilities in collaboration with participating DACUN-member institutions, DOST XI, and private sector is crucial. Fund support will be sought from CHED, with co-funding from DOST XI and DOST-PCAARRD. The OVCAA and CARIM are coordinating efforts to bring all the players together and finalize the proposal for submission.

Assistance to Partners at Land Reservation

The Land Reservation and Management Office continue to assist our partners at Marilog in the harvesting of tiger grass (tahiti) as part of our livelihood program. LRMO has also reserved 200 kg of dried palay for milling, which is equivalent to almost 150 kg of rice, to add to donations for the Laak site. This initiative of buying essential goods from local farmers for relief operations is in support of the government’s advocacy to buy local to help with farmers’ income during this crisis. The university is now studying the situation to come up with donation drives and relief operations for people in Laak and Marilog.

PULL Program Assistance to Farmer Partners

In response to the urgent need of our partner farmers at this time of COVID-19 in South Cotabato, Maguindanao and Zamboanga Sibugay, the PCAARRD-UP Mindanao-Landcare-LIFE (PULL) Program provided assistance in various ways based on their needs. One of these was the pooling of resources among the team and from friends which were then used to help in providing immediate support to the farmers. Following the Livelihood Improvement through Facilitated Extension (LIFE) Model, another response was through monitoring their situation and linking them with partner institutions, proactively finding out what assistance they provide at this time. Such strong coordination and collaboration proved effective as some agencies provided support to the farmer groups. The project was able to provide relief through our site facilitators for over 200 families across study sites in South Cotabato, Maguindanaw, and Zamboanga Sibugay from mid-April to the first week of May.

STUDENT SURVEY FOR ACADEMIC INSTRUCTION

The OVCAA has conducted an online survey, which was coordinated with the faculty through the deans, OUR and college secretaries, and the ILC. The survey will data on how best to facilitate communication between faculty and students, provide them with the learning materials, and inform the administration on students concerns, problems, and issues. As of 4 May 2020, 467 of the 836 UP Min students (56%) responded to the survey. An intensive follow up on the participation of students will be done this week. This section will be updated in future releases of the bulletin.

UP MINDANAO IN THE NEWS

3 May 2020ꟾ “P4 million earmarked for COVID-19 testing lab in Tagum City,” Manila Bulletin. https://bit.ly/35sQlt6

2 May 2020ꟾ “COVID-19 testing laboratory in Tagum prioritized,” Philippine Information Agency. https://bit.ly/2YswBo4

2 May 2020ꟾ “Covid-19 testing laboratory in Tagum prioritized,” Malaysia Sun.https://bit.ly/35pKfd9

1 May 2020ꟾ “Covid-19 lab gets funding from partners,” Malaysia Sun. https://bit.ly/2KNCiow

30 April 2020 | “Get back up and march on: 2019 Bar passer shares journey of perseverance,” Rappler. https://bit.ly/3d8MlR1

29 April 2020 | “DavNor donates P12-M for UP Covid-19 test lab,” SunStar Davao. https://bit.ly/3d3ZuuX

29 April 2020 | Prof. Lyre Murao and Prof. May Anne Mata featured in “One Davao on COVID-19” virtual press conference, Philippine Information Agency-XI. https://bit.ly/2y2AaGA

28 April 2020 | “Testing center for infectious diseases to rise in DavNor,” Malaysia Sun. https://bit.ly/3cUlJDr

28 April 2020 | “Baguio hospitals test own medical workers; Davao prepares laboratory,” Newsinfo.Inquirer.net. https://bit.ly/3bJsQyn

28 April 2020ꟾ “Testing center for infectious diseases to rise in DavNor,” Philippine Times. https://bit.ly/2Yrfy5P

27 April 2020 | UP Resilience Institute creates info-graphics from the studies of the UP Mindanao Interdisciplinary Applied Modeling Laboratory. https://bit.ly/3f8SZJ1

26 April 2020ꟾ“UP Mindanao, DRMC to set up Covid-19 testing lab by June,” Davao Today. https://bit.ly/355aO78

26 April 2020ꟾ “UP Min eyes opening of COVID test lab by June,” Mindanao Times. https://bit.ly/2SbvWmT

25 April 2020ꟾ “UP Mindanao eyes opening of COVID-19 test lab by June,” Mindanao Daily Mirror. https://bit.ly/2KC5zm4

24 April 2020ꟾ “UP Mindanao eyes opening of COVID-19 test lab by June,” MindaNews. https://bit.ly/352a0jz

24 April 2020ꟾ “Davao de Oro to establish COVID-19 testing center,” SunStar Davao. https://bit.ly/2S9e3Fh

23 April 2020 | “UP sets guidelines on proceeding with academic year affected by the ECQ,” UP System webpage. https://bit.ly/35lvMPi

23 April 2020ꟾ “Social sciences and the pandemic,” Philippine Daily Inquirer. https://bit.ly/2VBgYsE

23 April 2020ꟾ “UP Min’s Genome Center to do COVID-19 testing soon,” Mindanao Gold Star Daily. https://bit.ly/3bFeKOw

22 April 2020ꟾ “COVID testing in Region XI to be augmented by accredited local labs,” Philippine Information Agency. https://bit.ly/2VuxudN

22 April 2020ꟾ “UP Mindanao’s Genome Center to do COVID-19 testing soon,” MindaNews. https://bit.ly/2KtySHg

22 April 2020ꟾ “Genome lab at UPMin undergoing DOH certification to process COVID-19 tests,” Manila Bulletin. https://bit.ly/2VYfpUu

22 April 2020ꟾ “UP Mindanao's Genome Center to do COVID-19 testing soon,” Mindanao Daily Mirror. https://bit.ly/3eITYiW

21 April 2020 | “UP-Min's Covid-19 diagnostic lab now under engineering planning stage,” SunStar Davao. https://bit.ly/2VSPv4m

20 April 2020 | “Academe helps fight against COVID-19 in Davao City,” SunStar Davao. https://bit.ly/2RRM1Oo

20 April 2020ꟾ Volunteers start training for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics… (UPMin Facebook page: https://bit.ly/3fanTkg)

Reference Materials

UP System coronavirus advisories and prevention guidelines: https://bit.ly/2UCQS80

COVID-19 RESPONSE TEAM

Area	Lead person/s	Contact details
Overall	Prof. Larry N. Digal, PhD (Chancellor)
Instruction and academics	Prof. Nilo B. Oponda, PhD (Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs)
Administration and finance	Prof. Aurelia Luzviminda V. Gomez, PhD (Vice Chancellor for Administration)
Research and public service	Prof. Emma Ruth. V. Bayogan, PhD (CARIM Director)
Student affairs	Prof. Maria Teresa R. Escano (OSA Director)
Donations	Mr. Michael A. Gatela (Pahinungod Director)
Communications	Prof. Karen Joyce G. Cayamanda, PhD (Humanities Chair)
	Mr. Michael Noel R. Bonghanoy (Info Comm Chair)
	Mr. Rene A. Estremera (Public Relations Officer)

Implementing Guidelines for 2nd Semester, AY 2019-2020

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Forums

The University of the Philippines released on 23 April 2020 implementing guidelines for proceeding with the Second Semester of Academic Year 2019-2020, which has been affected by the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon and other parts of the country.

The guidelines, issued by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, reflect the resolution of the UP Board of Regents (BOR) in its special meeting on 16 April 2020. The resolution was based on the 13 April 2020 recommendations of UP’s President’s Advisory Committee (PAC) which, in turn, were drawn from the recommendations of the UP System Academic Affairs Committee that were based on the decisions of the Constituent Universities’ Executive Committees in consultation with College Secretaries, Graduate Program Coordinators, Deans and faculty. The PAC endorsed the following proposed policy on the Second Semester AY 2019-2020 to the BOR: 1) end the semester on 30 April 2020; 2) assure that students will not fail the course but that their grade of P (Pass) with optional adjectival remarks will be deferred until they meet adjusted course requirements by 31 May 2021; and 3) allow earlier completion of requirements by students on a CU-set deadline.

Guided equally by the UP’s mandate as the National University committed to quality education and by the extreme conditions confronting its students and faculty during the ECQ in Luzon and other parts of the country, the BOR adopted the PAC-proposed “Policy on the Second Semester AY 2019-2020 in the time of COVID-19”, dated 13 April 2020, with revision. Specifically, the Board replaced the recommended P (Pass with optional adjectival remarks) with numeric grades and granted units offering graduate courses the leeway to determine how best to proceed with learning and assessment, in consultation with their students and in consideration of the current crisis situation.

Read the full article in the UP System webpage. https://bit.ly/35lvMPi

UP Mindanao Bulletin, 4-17 April 2020

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Forums

UP MINDANAO BULLETIN

4–17 April 2020

MESSAGE FROM THE CHANCELLOR

To the UP Mindanao community:

While the word quarantine initially meant “forty days” in Italian (quarantina), I fear our quarantine might not end after forty days. The city government placed the city of Davao under quarantine last 15 March 2020; hence, we will reach our fortieth day on April 23. But the quarantine will continue on for much longer as the ECQ is extended until April 26 and CQ will be reimplemented starting April 27.

Unfortunately, this is needed to “flatten the curve.” Even our own researchers from the Interdisciplinary Applied Modeling (IAM) laboratory, which is a part of the UP System’s COVID-19 Response Team, has recommended extending the quarantine as “lifting the quarantine prematurely is very risky” (https://bit.ly/3cwkava). And we hope that this extension will buy us more time to set up our proposed testing lab, which was proposed by the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) Mindanao and to be implemented in partnership with government and private sectors, to augment the current diagnostic capacity of the Davao Region.

The extension of the quarantine means two things. First, work in the university will continue to be suspended until April 26 and beyond, and previous arrangements for the skeletal work force and work-from-home arrangements will remain in place (https://bit.ly/2KgvMGI). Second, classes will remain suspended until 30 April 2020, the end of the second semester AY 2019-2020 as decided by the UP Board of Regents. The BOR has also adopted a “deferred grade” scheme for students in consideration of the current crisis, and our teaching staff are urged to prepare adjusted course requirements and to communicate these to students by 31 May 2020 (https://bit.ly/2wOmuOW).

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” wrote Charles Dickens. And while he may be talking about an altogether different kind of revolution, we cannot deny that the same can also be said with the Covid-19 pandemic that has upended everything in our society.

It is indeed the worst of times. So much so that the City Government of Davao has declared “a period of mourning and vigilance in Davao City” until 31 December 2020 to commemorate the many lives lost during the pandemic and “to impress upon everyone the value of empathy for those who are suffering and will continue to suffer the after effects of the pandemic.” This will greatly impact how we operate day-to-day for the rest of the year, and this will, I imagine, also have a profound effect on the various activities we have planned in line with our year-long celebration of our 25^th Founding Anniversary.

But it can also be said the best oftimesas this pandemic has shown clearly the spirit of compassion and service of our constituents as they contribute in whatever way they can to address the challenges brought about by this pandemic. For example, as of 17 April 2020, we have amassed more than PhP 60,000 in response to our bayanihan fund drive for our security, sanitation, and nongovernment service personnel (we will be starting distribution within the week). Moreover, researchers from various units of the university have come together in response to CHED’s call for proposals to craft an initiative to produce 70% ethyl alcohol from lambanog to address shortage in supply.

For these and many other initiatives, I thank our community for your generosity, for sharing your financial resources, your time, and your expertise. Let us know by contacting the designated member of the Covid-19 response team if you have initiatives in mind that can help our university and our community. We are always open to new ideas.

But I cannot stress enough the importance of taking care of both our physical and mental health in the midst of this crisis. Hence, I invite everyone to sign up for the UP Mindanao Mental Health Helpline, which provides free mental health and psychosocial support to our constituents. This initiative is organized by our Office of Student Affairs in partnership with agencies such as the Southern Philippines Medical Center, the Philippine Mental Health Association Inc.-Davao Chapter, the Psychological Consultancy Services, and the AUPAEU – UP Mindanao Project Tambayayong. Links are given below for ease of access to interested students and employees.

STUDENTS: http://tiny.cc/UPMinMentalHealthHelpline

EMPLOYEES: http://tiny.cc/MentalHealthHelpline

Furthermore, to inform us of the health and general situation of our employees, the Human Resource and Development Office has launched the Covid-19 employees monitoring survey, available in English and Binisaya versions. I hope our employees will find the time to answer the survey as we prepare for various scenarios when the community quarantine is finally lifted.

English: https://forms.gle/nt5X1D7YTrmhtpFA6

Binisaya: https://forms.gle/v4yPj66fHrAmsejs7

To end this message, I would like to borrow the words of our colleague, Prof. Andrea Malaya Ragragio, in her response to my previous message: “In the midst of this pandemic, when almost all our norms, routines, institutions, values, hierarchies, established practices, plans and expectations, our sense of self and community are up in the air, this is precisely the time when we can subject ourselves and our taken-for-granted truths to a brutal re-examination.”

As we re-examine various facets of our lives, our institution, and our society, may we always be guided by the spirit of honor and excellence that has guided many other UP scholars in the past who have weathered many storms over the years but found the resolve to contribute to the betterment society.

Stay safe and know that we will get through this together!

—Prof. Larry N. Digal, PhD, Chancellor

UP MINDANAO COVID-19 CASE TRACKER (as of 20 April 2020)

Constituents	Respondents	Suspect Case*	Probable Case*	Confirmed Case*
Students ¹	355	0	0	0
Teaching staff ²	-	-	-	-
Non-teaching staff ²	-	-	-	-
Non-UP contractuals ² (NGS, project-based personnel, etc.)	-	-	-	-

¹ Based on Student Tracking Survey of the Office of Student Affairs (as of 17 Apr 2020)

² Based on Personnel Tracking Survey of the Human Resources and Development Office (released 21 Apr 2020)

* See note below on the new DOH classification system for COVID-19-related cases

The UP System has tasked all constituent units to report on the number of COVID-19 cases among its constituents based on the new classification system adopted by the Department of Health. Hence, we are urging students, faculty, and staff of the university to answer the appropriate survey for monitoring.

STUDENTS: https://bit.ly/2JmVQ2b?

TEACHING & NON-TEACHING STAFF AND NON-UP CONTRACTUALS:

English: https://forms.gle/nt5X1D7YTrmhtpFA6

Binisaya: https://forms.gle/v4yPj66fHrAmsejs7

*NOTE: The Department of Health has issued a new case classification based on additional epidemiological information on COVID-19, adapting certain provisions of the WHO interim guidelines on global surveyance, in its Administrative Order no. 2020-0013 (LINK: https://bit.ly/2XFPO58).

Old Classification	New Classification	Definition based on DOH AO no. 2020-013
Persons under monitoring (PUM)	Not included in new classification system	Due to evidence of local or community transmission in the country, its residents are assumed to have been exposed to the infection.
Patients under investigation (PUI)	Suspect case	- Individuals who have symptoms of severe acute respiratory infection (fever, cough, sore through, difficulty breathing, and severe pneumonia of unknown cause) - Those with influenza-like illness (symptoms include fever, cough, or sore throat) who has a history of travel to or residence in an area that reported local transmission or with contact to a confirmed or probable case - Those with symptoms of the disease who belong to the 60 years old and above age bracket, have preexisting health conditions, assessed as having high-risk pregnancy, and are employed as a health worker
Patients under investigation (PUI)	Probable case	- A suspect case who has not yet been tested or is awaiting test result - Those who received a result from a test NOT conducted at the national reference laboratory, a subnational reference laboratory, or DOH-certified laboratory testing facility
COVID-19 Positive	Confirmed case	- Any individual, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, who was confirmed for COVID-19 at the national reference laboratory, a subnational reference laboratory, or DOH-certified laboratory testing facility

IMPORTANT REMINDERS AND NOTICES

1 May 2020 | Departments shall communicate adjusted course requirements for students under the “deferred grade” scheme

30 April 2020 | End of 2nd Semester AY 2019-2020

27 April 2020 | Re-implementation of Community Quarantine in Davao City

22 April 2020 | Submission of Work Accomplishment from 01-14 April 2020 for Admin Staff and REPS

20-26 April 2020 | Extension of Enhanced Community Quarantine in Davao Region

20-30 April 2020 | Online Training Courses for UP Staff – 2nd Batch

NEWS

17 April 2020 | “UP students given options in complying with course requirements, safety nets against failing grades.” https://bit.ly/3co8LO0

16 April 2020 | “Davao City should consider extending community quarantine beyond April 19 and conduct more tests for COVID-19—UP Mindanao Researchers” (UP System Website). https://bit.ly/2RL9Ya8

15 April 2020 | “UPMin's mathematicians recommend continuing lockdown beyond April 19" (Mindanao Times). https://bit.ly/3bl8Ku4

15 April 2020 | OSA Mental Health Pipeline (UPMin Facebook page). https://bit.ly/34Gp5a6

6 April 2020 | “UP COVID19-Related Initiatives revised 6 April 2020”: CU-involvement in COVID19-Related Research/Technology/Extension Activities (OVPPA). https://bit.ly/2RERW9F

3 April 2020 | VIDEO: “PGC UP Mindanao update on COVID-19 initiative.” https://bit.ly/3bbZXup

Online Portal of University of the Philippines CoViD-19 News and Information. https://www.up.edu.ph/index.php/covid-19-updates/

ISSUANCES

External Agencies

17 April 2020 | Davao City Executive Order No. 25: An Order to Declare a Period of Mourning and Vigilance in Davao City. https://bit.ly/3bmh90s

16 April 2020 | Davao City Executive Order No. 24: An Order Providing for the Extension of the Enhanced Community Quarantine and Other Activities Thereafter. https://bit.ly/2xAY8IV

15 April 2020 | CHED Office of the Executive Director: Submission of Reports as to the Use of SUC’s Facilities as Quarantine Areas. https://bit.ly/3bglxOz

13 April 2020 | CHED Advisory No. 6 Guidelines for the Prevention, Control, and Mitigation of the Spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Higher Education Institutions. https://bit.ly/3esXj5x

6 April 2020 | CHED Memorandum from the Office of the Chairperson on the Call for Proposals for the Grant of Assistance to State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) to Combat the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). https://bit.ly/2Vdzx62

UP System Memoranda and Other Releases

17 April 2020 ꟾ Memorandum No. OSU 2020 01-02. Notice of Resolutions of the Board of Regents at its Special Meeting held on 16 April 2020. https://bit.ly/3bney6c

UP System Policy on the Second Semester AY 2019-2020 in the Time of COVID-19. https://bit.ly/2wOmuOW

17 April 2020 | UP System IT Online Courses for UP Staff - 2nd Batch

16 April 2020 | Office of the Staff Regent: Survey on the Work Condition of Administrative Staff and REPS during the Time of COVID-19. https://bit.ly/2VA6f0b

15 April 2020 | Memorandum No. EEP 2020-7. Additional Data to be Included in the CU-COVID-19 Report. https://bit.ly/3bjUBgS

15 April 2020 | Office of the President Memorandum No. TJH 2020-20. Redirection of Website Domain/ URL to the UP System Website. https://bit.ly/2XOFrMJ

14 April 2020 | Office of the President Memorandum No. TJH 2020-19. Guidelines for Coordinated Information Management and IT-related Efforts amid COVID-19 Pandemic. https://bit.ly/3cqT2xw

14 April 2020 | Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs Memorandum No. 2020-48. Proposed UP System Policy on the Second Semester AY 2019-2020 and the Mid-Year in the Time of COVID-19. https://bit.ly/2Kdt4l6

10 April 2020| Office of the Faculty Regent. Survey for Faculty on Online Teaching Readiness. (sent through email). https://forms.gle/TXqvRSJZpXJmfmWS9

9 April 2020 | UP System IT: Overview of Recent Updates to Zoom (forwarded by UPMin IT Office).

7 April 2020 | UP System IT: Proper Use of University ICT Resources (email sent to all).

7 April 2020 | Memorandum No. NGY 2020-53 / Memorandum No. TJH 2020-16. Guidelines on the release of Clothing Allowance (P6,000) and Emergency Allowance (P5,000). https://bit.ly/2VEKOLL

7 April 2020 | Office of the President Memorandum No. TJH 2020-18. Half-day Work on Wednesday, 8 April 2020. https://bit.ly/3akpfoJ

5 April 2020 | Memorandum No. NGY 20-56. Submission of Work Accomplishment from 17-31 March 2020 and 01-14 April 2020. https://bit.ly/2ReP6Id

UP Mindanao Memoranda and Other Releases

17 April 2020 | Memorandum No. LND 2020-049. Extension of Work and Class Suspension as per Davao City LGU EO no. 24 and UP BOR’s Decision to End Classes. https://bit.ly/2KgvMGI

17 April 2020 | Memorandum No. LND 2020-047. Early Release of Salaries for 16-30 April 2020. https://bit.ly/2VBW5fv

16 April 2020 | Memorandum No. LND 2020-046. COVID-19 Response Team of UP Mindanao (modified). https://bit.ly/3ev9DCc

16 April 2020 | Memorandum no. ALVG 2020-016 Interim Arrangements for the Processing of Financial Transactions. https://bit.ly/3bhtzqk

14 April 2020 | Memorandum No. ALVG 2020-014. Moratorium on GSIS Loan Payments. https://bit.ly/2VeC67D

13 April 2020 | Call for nomination for CHSS Dean-Extended until further notice (emailed to all units from chair, Prof. Noreen V. Fundandor).

6 April 2020 | Memorandum No. LND 2020-043. Davao City Mayor Calls for Volunteers to serve in the Proposed PUI Centers in the Region. https://bit.ly/2z03I7V

6 April 2020 | Administrative Order No. LND 2020-043. Appointment of Prof. Maria Stella R. Salazar as Officer-in-Charge of CHSS effective 7 April 2020 until a new CHSS Dean is appointed by the BOR. https://bit.ly/3ajfW8C

5 April 2020 | Memorandum No. LND 2020-045. Request for Participation in the Consumer and Business Survey to Assess the Impact of COVID-19 and the Community Quarantine. https://bit.ly/2XIycFK

Reference Materials

UP System coronavirus advisories and prevention guidelines: https://bit.ly/2UCQS80

COVID-19 RESPONSE TEAM

Area	Lead person/s	Contact details
Overall	Prof. Larry N. Digal, PhD (Chancellor)
Instruction and academics	Prof. Nilo B. Oponda, PhD (VCAA)
Administration and finance	Prof. Aurelia Luzviminda V. Gomez, PhD (VCA)
Research and public service	Prof. Emma Ruth. V. Bayogan, PhD (CARIM Director)
Student affairs	Prof. Maria Teresa R. Escano (OSA Director)
Donations	Mr. Michael A. Gatela (Pahinungod Director)
Communications	Prof. Karen Joyce G. Cayamanda, PhD (Humanities Chair)
	Mr. Michael Noel R. Bonghanoy (Info Comm Chair)
	Mr. Rene A. Estremera (Public Relations Officer)

End of 2nd Sem AY 2019-2020

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Forums

UP students given options in complying with course reqs, safety nets against failing grades

April 17, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta (Reprinted from: https://www.up.edu.ph/up-students-given-options-in-complying-with-course-reqs-safety-nets-against-failing-grades/)

In light of the global pandemic and enhanced community quarantine declared across most of the country, the University of the Philippines has decided to end the second semester of AY 2019-2020 on April 30, 2020, instead of the original May 23, 2020.

This decision was made during a meeting of the UP Board of Regents (UP BOR) held on April 16, following deliberations and revisions of a proposal submitted by the President’s Advisory Council, a committee composed of the UP System vice presidents and the chancellors of all UP constituent units. The details of the final decision and corresponding guidelines will be issued in an official memo that will soon be made available and cascaded through proper channels.

With this decision, UP students in all constituent units are given two options. They can choose to complete their course requirements until May 31, 2021, and upon compliance shall be given a numeric grade under a “deferred grade” scheme. Instead of receiving a failing grade, students who find themselves unable to complete their course requirements by May 2021 will be considered dropped and will have to retake the course in the succeeding semester.

However, students whose circumstances allow them to work on course requirements during quarantine, can choose to complete these requirements, following the adjusted syllabus and the deadlines set by their constituent university. They will then be given a numerical grade based on faculty assessment of their performance.

Moreover, students who enrolled in a course that is a prerequisite to a higher course will be allowed to enroll in the latter for credit, despite the “deferred grade” for the prerequisite course. To help students catch up with their courses, departments, units and institutes shall offer bridging programs during the first semester of AY 2020-2021.

Departments and faculty have been urged to prepare necessary course requirements that will allow them to assess academic performance, taking into consideration the crisis conditions the students are working in. These adjusted course requirements must be communicated to the students by May 1, 2020.

For postgraduate students, their departments, units and institutions shall determine how best to proceed with the courses and how to assess students’ academic performances, in consultation with the students and in consideration of the current crisis situation.

UP is also waiving academic rules as well as policies on scholastic standing and student financial assistance.

Specifically, the deadlines for the dropping of subjects and for filing Leave of Absence for the second semester of AY 2019-2020 are lifted. As for the maximum residency rule, residence for this semester shall not be counted in the years of residence of a student.

A student who incurred a grade of incomplete (INC) during the second semester of AY 2018-2019 shall be allowed to remove the INC until first semester AY 2020-2021. Similarly, a student who incurred a grade of 4.0 during the same period shall also be allowed to remove the 4.0 until first semester AY 2020-2021.

Rules on scholastic standing (delinquency), including rules on warning, probation, dismissal and permanent disqualification, are suspended for the second semester AY 2019-2020. Policies on student financial assistance, which are tied to scholastic standing, are similarly suspended.

The University will continue to explore alternative modes of instruction, requirements and assessment methods that are consistent with its mandate as national university, and with the principles of honor and excellence, all while taking into account the extreme conditions, unequal life circumstances, and high levels of anxiety, stress and suffering that UP faculty and students are enduring.

References:

Memorandum No. LND 2020-49

A-Memorandum No. 0SU2020-01-02_Notice of BOR Resolutions at its Special Meeting held on 16 April 2020

B-Revised_UP System Policy on the Second Semester AY 2019-2020 in the Time of COVID-19

[Browse here: https://bit.ly/2KgvMGI

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Davao City Should Consider Extending Community Quarantine Beyond April 19 and Conduct More Tests for COVID-19—UP Mindanao Researchers

A recent study by the Interdisciplinary Applied Modeling (IAM) laboratory of the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao recommends that “the local government should consider extending the community quarantine” beyond the April 19 end date of the community quarantine in Davao City. The IAM lab is part of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team – Bioinformatics and Modeling Group, which is mainly composed of mathematicians across the different UP campuses.

The team headed by Dr. May Anne Mata, an associate professor in applied mathematics specializing in mathematical biology, simulated a model to predict the effect of lifting the community quarantine on April 19 and July 1 based on parameter estimates obtained by fitting an epidemiological model to the cumulative confirmed cases in the Davao Region from March 15 to April 4.

The model has five population categories, namely, Susceptible (at risk to contract the disease), Exposed (infected but not infectious), Asymptomatic Infectious (without symptoms but infectious), Confirmed Cases (assumed isolated and will not infect the susceptible), and Unreported Infectious (includes only those with symptoms).

“When CQ [community quarantine] is lifted on April 19, the infected population will continue to persist . . . For instance, we see that the exposed population is stable from May to July after it peaks during the last week of March,” the study finds. “However, if we maintain CQ at the status quo’s rates of transmission and confirmation, we observe a decreasing trend in the number of exposed individuals around mid-May.”

Dr. Mata, however, cautions that the model estimates are dependent on various assumptions and only show a possible, more likely scenario. Hence, predicting the appropriate lifting date is difficult and can only be accurately obtained by increasing the number of observations and updating parameter estimates.

“Lifting the quarantine prematurely is very risky. To be safe, perhaps we can extend the community quarantine for 14 days. If we get 0 new cases and 0 new PUIs [persons under investigation] within that period, then we can lift the community quarantine,” Dr. Mata suggests.

The next phase of the study will fit the model on data within the duration of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from April 4 to 19, covered by EO no. 23A series 2020, to see if the strategy is effective.

Extending the community quarantine, however, has an economic tradeoff, one that is difficult to model at this time. “We just don’t have data on logistics like total budget of Davao City government for COVID-19 response, breakdown per barangay, cost of goods distribution, budget per household, just to name a few, to do a model on this. Also, this will require a different modeling strategy.”

Using the same data, another study by the team shows the importance of testing persons under monitoring (PUMs) and persons under investigation (PUIs). “We recommend that the government should consider testing more PUMs and/or PUIs in the region for early detection of infected population so that these individuals will be isolated immediately from the susceptible pool,” the study states. This point is particularly important for asymptomatic individuals who may show no signs of disease but may freely and unknowingly spread the disease to the population.

In another study, researcher Zython Paul Lachica and other members of the IAM lab team collated available information from COVID-19 positive cases from the Department of Health within a 40-day observation period to assess the risk factors that increase a patient’s hazard rate.

The study yielded the following preliminary findings: “Male COVID-19 positive patients are estimated to face a hazard rate of 12.79 times the hazard faced by female patients. Coughing patients face a hazard that is 28.35 times the hazard of those who have no cough. Furthermore, a patient with pre-existing condition”—such as hypertension, kidney problem, and/or diabetes—“may have a hazard rate of 2,838 times the hazard rate of patient without any preexisting conditions. On the other hand, patients who are 55 to 64 years old and 65 to 74 years old face hazard rates that are less than patients who are 75 years and older.” It should be noted that these results are based on preliminary data, and the hazard estimates will be fine-tuned once more data becomes available.

Based on these findings, the study recommends prioritizing for testing patients who are 75 years and older and those with preexisting medical conditions once they experience coughing, persons under monitoring who might be asymptomatic patients, as well as those with high exposure to the COVID-19 positive patients such as health workers.

Setting up more testing centers in the different regions is vital to contain COVID-19 cases as the study shows that “having test results within 1 to 3 days after the onset of symptoms reduces hazard rates to almost 0%.” Survival rates decrease dramatically as the number of days before getting the test results increase.

The IAM lab was initiated by researchers from UP Mindanao’s Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science to help the government in making science-based decisions. The three studies by the lab were already sent for review to the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team and are freely shared to local decision makers as input for strategies.

Since last March, UP Mindanao through the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) Mindanao has entered into talks with the Department of Health XI, Davao del Norte LGUs, and the private sector to establish a COVID-19 testing laboratory that will be attached to the Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) in order to supplement the testing capacity of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in the Davao Region.

UP Mindanao Bulletin, 15 March-3 April 2020

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Forums

UP MINDANAO BULLETIN
15 March 2020–3 April 2020

MESSAGE FROM THE CHANCELLOR

“In the past two years, we have experienced major disruptions. Last year, we had to deal with the various earthquakes that hit Mindanao. This year, we—and the rest of the world—face another threat in the form of a pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease.
“What disruptive events such as this pandemic teaches us is the importance of focusing on what really matters. And right now, during this difficult time, what the university is focusing on is taking care of its constituents, particularly our students, our teaching and nonteaching staff, and our non-UP contractual staff.”
—Prof. Larry N. Digal, PhD, Chancellor
READ FULL MESSAGE HERE: https://bit.ly/3dSW7rK

IMPORTANT REMINDERS AND NOTICES

19 April 2020 | End of extended work and class suspension unless further extended, modified, or withdrawn
8 April 2020 | Deadline for submission of work accomplishment for 17–31 March 2020
4 April 2020 | Bayanihan for our non-government service, security, and sanitation personnel (Read letter here: https://bit.ly/2xV3FcV)
30 March–15 April 2020 | Ongoing work-from-home (WFH) training for all UP Mindanao personnel

UP MINDANAO COVID-19 TRACKER

We are currently working out a system for tracking the condition of UP Mindanao constituents, particularly students (through the Office of Student Affairs) and employees (through the Human Resource and Development Office). The tracker will go live in the next volume of the bulletin.

ISSUANCES

UP System Memoranda and Other Releases

03 April 2020 | Memorandum no. NGY 20-56. Submission of Work Accomplishment from 17–31 March 2020 and 1–14 April 2020. https://bit.ly/2ReP6Id
02 April 2020 | UP System IT. Reminder on Secure Zoom Meeting Sessions. (Email sent to everyone)
25 March 2020 | Memorandum no. LGSB 2020-017. Submission of Project Proposals for UPSA Funding Request. https://bit.ly/2V4pS0i
20 March 2020 | Memorandum no. OVPAA 2020-40. Payment of Salaries of Lecturers and Teaching Assistant/Teaching Fellows up to 15 April 2020. https://bit.ly/2XcA9Kv
17 March 2020 | UP System IT. Zoom Video Conferencing Access for UP Faculty and REPS. (Email sent to everyone)
17 March 2020 | Memorandum no. OVPAA 2020-39. Addendum to Memorandum no. OVPAA 2020-38 on the Suspension of Classes in All UP Constituent Universities Except UP Open University. https://bit.ly/2JK40BW
13 March 2020 | Memorandum no. NGY 2020-44. Implementation of Alternative Work Arrangement. https://bit.ly/3e29bLM
05 March 2020 | Memorandum no. NGY 2020-33. CSC Guidelines on the Procedure of Availment of Leave Privileges for Absences Incurred in Relation to Self-Quarantine and/or Treatment of Public Sector Officials and Employees Relative to COVID-19. https://bit.ly/2wlKKI6

UP Mindanao Memoranda and Other Releases

2 April 2020 | Memorandum no. LND 2020-041. Extension of Work and Class Suspension until 19 April 2020 Unless Further Extended, Modified or Withdrawn.
https://bit.ly/3c6lSDx
1 April 2020 | Memorandum no. MTRE 2020-005. Misting/Disinfection of the City Health Office in UP Mindanao on 1 April 2020. https://bit.ly/2XeVEdE
26 March 2020 | Memorandum no. LND 2020-40. Work-from-home (WFH) training for all UP Mindanao personnel from 30 March to 15 April 2020. https://bit.ly/2X4jBUR
20 March 2020 | Memorandum no. LND 2020-034. Clarification on the Early Release of Salaries of Non-UP Contractual Personnel and Project-based Personnel. https://bit.ly/2xTyzT0
19 March 2020 | Memorandum no. LND 2020-033. Skeletal Force During Community Quarantine and Possible Lockdown Due to COVID-19 https://bit.ly/2JHL86L
18 March 2020 | Memorandum no. LND 2020-032. Work Arrangement During Community Quarantine Due to COVID-19 https://bit.ly/2X8dwH8
17 March 2020 | Memorandum no. LND 20200-031a. Early Release of Salaries of Regular and Non-UP Contractual Personnel and Project-based Personnel. https://bit.ly/2RgWbrF
17 March 2020 | Memorandum no. LND 2020-031b. Requirements for Early Release of Salaries of Non-UP Contractual Personnel and Project-based Personnel. https://bit.ly/3bVBRUO
17 March 2020 | Memorandum no. LND 2020-029. Release of P25K CNA incentive. https://bit.ly/2Rd9wkE
16 March 2020 | Memorandum no. LND 2020-028. Reiteration of the Suspension of Work and Cancellation of Classes. https://bit.ly/2UMcAqr
16 March 2020 | Memorandum no. LND 2020-27A. Clarification on Memorandum no. LND-27, “Implementation of Alternative Work Arrangement in Relation to COVID-19 Code Red Sublevel 2 and Community Quarantine in Davao City” https://bit.ly/39Seni0
15 March 2020 | Memorandum no. LND 2020-27. Implementation of alternative work arrangement in relation to COVID-19 Code Red Sublevel 2 and community quarantine in Davao City https://bit.ly/3bOvvq2
13 March 2020 | Memorandum no. NBO 2020-16. Online mode of instruction. https://bit.ly/39MCVsy

Others

02 April 2020 | SMAARDEC/PCAARRD Secretariat: 2020 Non-Degree Training Courses https://bit.ly/2UJMggv

Reference Materials

UP System Coronavirus advisories and prevention guidelines: https://bit.ly/2UCQS80

NEWS

01 April 2020 | UP Philippine General Hospital Bayanihan Na! Operations Center is launched. Dial 155200 for assistance. https://publicservice.up.edu.ph/uppgh-bayanihan-na/
28 March 2020 | “Processing and release of 2020 UPCAT results suspended due to ECQ” (Philippine Daily Inquirer) https://bit.ly/3aNXLJj
27 March 2020 | “Villanueva: State universities, colleges, need raw materials, support to continue initiatives against COVID-19” (Manila Bulletin). https://bit.ly/2JEe53o
26 March 2020 | “LGUs to support proposed laboratory" (The Mindanao Times). https://bit.ly/2UWhnV0
26 March 2020 | “Call for volunteers for COVID-19 Testing Lab” (Philippine Genome Center-Mindanao). https://bit.ly/2wWJ5Jq
26 March 2020 | UP Alumni Association Davao, Inc. has launched a donation drive to provision public health frontliners (UPMin Facebook page). https://bit.ly/2V8TZ6P
23 March 2020 | “UP Mindanao proposes diagnostic program to test for COVID-19 in Davao City” (Manila Bulletin). https://bit.ly/3aQOQXC
20–28 March 2020 | Alumni, officials, staff, and students donated food and personal necessities for students stranded at the dormitory and nearby boarding houses (UPMin Facebook page). https://bit.ly/3e8to2u; https://bit.ly/34ePV96; https://bit.ly/3bWpnME
20 March 2020 | Launch of Online Portal of University of the Philippines CoViD-19 News and Information. https://www.up.edu.ph/index.php/covid-19-updates/

CONTACT DETAILS
Rene Estremera
Public Relations Officer
Email:
Messenger: https://www.facebook.com/pg/UPMindanao/services/

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