UP Mindanao entered into another memorandum of agreement to establish a COVID-19 testing facility, this time with the Police Regional Office–Region XI (PRO-XI) and the Department of Science and Technology–Region XI (DOST-XI), on 16 September 2020 at Camp Sgt. Quintin M. Merecido, Davao City.
COVID-19 has disrupted the lives of people all over the world. UP Visayas experienced the same fate as the rest of the country is waging a battle of unparalleled proportion against a virus, never before experienced by the modern world. Despite this, UPV never wavered and met the challenges of the pandemic head-on. The UPV community stood up and fended for one another.
Six months have passed after the first lockdown was issued on March 17, 2020. Although announced nine days earlier, the entire nation was unprepared, caught unaware of its far-reaching ramifications.
In consonance with the UP System’s Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan Fundraising and Resource Generation Campaign (Kaagapay UP), UP Open University (UPOU) launched its own UPOU-Kaagapay+ program on September 1. It builds upon Kaagapay UP’s efforts to include: student loans; income generating projects; academic support via online tutorial courses and bridge courses; technological support using apps that assist in study skills, note-taking, organizational skills, etc.; psychosocial support through counseling, access to free online support resources, helpdesk, referral system, among others; and, peer support and virtual interactions through spaces like virtual hangouts.
Air pollution significantly decreased in Metro Manila during the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
This was the conclusion made at the Forest Policy e-Talks webinar of the Forestry Development Center-College of Forestry and Natural Resources (FDC-CFNR) on Aug. 27 that was held via Zoom.
The said webinar, organized by the Department of Community and Environmental Resource Planning of the College of Human Ecology (CHE-DCERP) on July 30, featured the initiatives and innovations of Makati City, Zamboanga City, and Los Baños, Laguna LGUs.
Aside from telling about the staple delivery of relief goods, contact tracing, testing, providing health and quarantine facilities, disinfection, information drive, and passing of relevant local legislations that are common among LGUs, the invited local officials presented their unique circumstances and solutions at these times.
Tourism is one of the most badly-damaged sectors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and its recovery will take a significant amount of time.
This was the conclusion drawn by the panelists of the webinar entitled “What’s next for Philippine tourism: challenges and prospects beyond the COVID-19 pandemic” held on Aug. 27 via Zoom and Facebook.
The Department of Community and Environmental Resource Planning of the College of Human Ecology (CHE-DCERP) spearheaded the virtual knowledge sharing event.
The UPLB Gender Center (UPLB-GC) invited women leaders who have made notable contributions to the country’s COVID-19 response in the third episode of its Facebook talk show ‘Gend-ER Live: Women Leaders in the Midst of Crisis’ on Aug. 27.
One of the guests was Hon. Leni Robredo, Vice President of the Philippines.
She talked about her office’s relief efforts for healthcare workers through the provision of shuttle and dormitory services and personal protective equipment (PPEs).
Several UP alumni, including Julliano Fernando ‘Jules’ Guiang, a National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) alumnus and graduate student, were similarly struck by the inequities highlighted by the pandemic. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Guiang, who is also a journalist, had launched The Hatch Hub, a co-working space on Maginhawa Street, Sikatuna Village, Quezon City with his friends. At first, they envisioned it to be an affordable establishment where students and professionals could study, meet, work, and hold events.
The site “provides the Filipino and Cebuano translations and definitions of the featured terms, their part of speech, as well as usage in a sentence to further demonstrate their meaning.” It is accessible on any internet-connected device.
As of press time, “Isang Gabay sa mga Salitang Kaugnay ng COVID-19” has a list of at least 115 words and phrases, including scientific and medical terms, commonly used in reference to the disease. It also has “new vocabulary that pertains to changes in business, education, and new way of life.”
Hannah Marie R. Aranas, a faculty member of the University of San Carlos Department of Languages and Literature, worked on the Cebuano translation of the COVID-19 terms for Google’s e-resource.
A donation drive for the benefit of Barangay Addition Hills in Mandaluyong City was recently launched by Cheer UP Pinoy (CUP), a nationwide service event of the student organization UP Academic League of Chemical Engineering Students (UP ALCHEMES).
“CUP-it Bisig 2020” (CUP-it Bisig), launched on Aug. 12, aims to help Brgy. Addition Hills residents who were gravely affected by the fire incident in the barangay and the COVID-19 pandemic.
