Author: Padayon UP

The University of the Philippines continues to commit to Filipinos through its numerous contributions and milestones in research and public service. By utilizing the expertise of its community members, the University has produced research breakthroughs and responsive policies in public health, science and technology, national development, and sustainable growth. In its commitment to social responsibility, UP has constantly assisted various sectors in mitigating and coping with the challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

A research team of Japanese scientists and Filipino biologists from the UPLB Museum of Natural History continued its efforts to survey zoonotic diseases from bats, braving the aftermath of Typhoon Paeng (Nalgae) which recently crossed southern Luzon in the Philippines and flooded several areas of Laguna province.

On November 9, 2022, Wednesday, the UPV OCEP conducted its second installment of the “Remedies & Reducing Business Risks” lecture series. The activity’s resource person was Atty. Aloysius Pacelli Dela Cruz II. Atty. Dela Cruz is a College of Management alumnus and currently a partner at the Treñas, Rubias, De La Cruz and Layson Law Offices. 

The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and DA-BAR conducted a training course on Communicating Agriculture and Fisheries for Inclusive and Sustainable Development (CAFSRISD) Program as part of the Information and Knowledge Management (IKM) Mentorship Program for the bureau staff. The training was held on 8-29 June 2022 via Zoom. 

As the permanent secretariat of the Philippine Academic Society for Climate and Disaster Resilience (PASCDR) and the academic sector partner of the Philippine Preparedness Partnership (PhilPrep), the UP Resilience Institute (UP RI) brought together leaders from the PASCDR and PhilPrep to a Roundtable Discussion last 20th of October 2022. There were a total of 26 participants online and 35 in-person throughout the event from different universities and organizations.

The Public Information and Community Affairs Office (PICAO) of the Iloilo Provincial Government (IPG) tapped the University of the Philippines Visayas Information and Publications Office (UPV IPO) and Dame Digital to discuss various topics on social media to its designated information officers (IOs). 

The Training of Trainers is a regionwide project. It will be conducted in the other provinces of Western Visayas – Capiz, Aklan, and Negros Occidental in the coming weeks. One of the visions of the project is to maximize the use of the NCD flipchart in the scale-up of the NCD training to other BHWs and medical professionals in Western Visayas.

Faculty members from the University of the Philippines Visayas comprised the Training of Trainers team, which includes Dr. Philip Ian P. Padilla, Prof. Jude Vincent E. Parcon, Dr. Adrienne Marrie S. Bugayong-Janagap, and Prof. Julie E. Prescott. 

GDP Director Prof. Ysabella P. Cainglet, through a recorded message, talked on Gender Awareness and Sensitivity Orientation, citing, among others, the various laws that protect and promote the rights and well-being of women and all genders. Meanwhile Prof. Aniceta Patricia T. Alingasa, Coordinator of the UPV Office of Anti-Sexual Harassment gave an orientation on anti-sexual harassment.

The staff of UPLB Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, together with Ms. Vanessa Tayaba of Gasan Municipal Agriculture Office, conducted a focus group discussion (FGD) in Gasan, Marinduque on July 28, 2022, to assess the specific needs of the community.

As the country slowly approaches its third year of combating the pandemic, the University of the Philippines (UP) remains unyielding and continues to show exemplary efforts in fulfilling its mandate of leadership as a public service university. This report contains the different public service initiatives mobilized by each of the eight Constituent Universities (CUs) across the UP System, each primarily addressing the struggles of the community amidst the new normal.