Category: SYSTEM NEWS AND EVENTS

Public service is one of UP’s key responsibilities as the national university. But the actual performance of public service is one thing, while the act of co­ordinating, harmonizing, and standardizing public service initiatives among eight constituent units in 21 campuses is another feat altogether. This is where the Padayon Public Service Office (Padayon) enters the scene. Padayon is a Visayan word that means “to do promptly, and unceasingly”—an apt description of how UP must tirelessly and relentlessly serve the people.

These lofty goals will not be realized without an office at the UP System level to centralize efforts to monitor programs, provide technical assistance, and recommend policies to respond to the needs of UP’s various publics when it comes to volunteerism, community engage­ment, and sustainable development.

Padayon, a Visayan word which means “to do promptly, hastily, unceasingly” as planned and as worked out (Abuyen Dictionary, 2005) describes aptly the new character of UP Padayon as an of­fice that responds quickly and proactively to the problems and challenges of a university and a society caught in the midst of climatic and radical changes in the environment and everyday life.

In Bahasa Sug (Taosug), “dayong” refers to a big paddle for rowing big boats. As a noun infinitive, “pagdayong” means a collective effort of row­ing, moving or propelling a big boat towards the same direction. Given the various volunteer groups, extension specialists, cultural workers and public servants of eight constituent universi­ties, the UP Padayon System Office shall steer all efforts, initiatives and responses across CUs toward public service for the Filipino nation. Padayon!

The Summit on Transforming UP into a Nurturing and Healthy University on April 19 and 20, 2018 at the UP Professional Schools Bonifacio Global City, Taguig brought together UP System and officials of constituent universities (CUs); staff of the Offices of Student Affairs, Gender, Guidance and Counseling; and psychosocial health experts to discuss a framework for psychosocial health in the University and work on action plans for the CUs.

UP President Danilo Concepcion fast-tracked the holding of the summit, through the Padayon Public Service Office under the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs.

The forum, subtitled “A Discussion on Building Resilience and Nurturing Hope”, also featured a presentation on University offices and organizations with mental health initiatives. The forum was co-organized by the Padayon Public Service Office as part of its advocacy on emotional resilience. The office will hold the “Summit on Transforming UP into a Healthy and Nurturing University” on April 19 and 20, 2018 at the UP Professional Schools-Bonifacio Global City. The first such summit, to include UP’s eight chancellors, it will constitute a technical working group to work on a framework and action plan for System-wide initiatives to address mental health and psychosocial issues in the University.

UP organized the second public service conference for colleges and universities in the Philippines to take stock of, develop, and possibly coordinate public service delivered by the country’s higher educational institutions (HEIs). UP organized the first one in 2015.

Held in two legs by the UP Padayon Public Service Office—in Bonifacio Global City and Cebu City on November 9-10 and 28-29, 2017, respectively—the 2nd Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference (CUPSCon 2) had the theme “Compassion and Social Responsibility: Cornerstones of Public Service and Extension in Higher Education”.

The conference featured more than 130 presentations from 35 HEIs, reflecting the range, best practices, challenges, and thrusts of public service by private and public HEIs in the country.

A social gathering in honor of UP public servants led by Ugnayan ng Pahinungod and Padayon Public Service Office pioneers followed the 2nd Gawad Pangulo for Excellence in Public Service awarding ceremonies on December 5, 2017 at the Institute of Biology, UP Diliman.

Certificates of recognition from the Padayon Public Service Office were handed out to the former director of the UP System Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, Dr. Grace Aguiling-Dalisay, and former directors of the Padayon Public Service Office, Dr. Ferdinand Llanes and Prof. Nelson Cainghog. Dr. Glecy Atienza received a special citation. Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Ranjit Rye received the award on behalf of Cainghog.

Through a workshop held on October 24 and 25, 2017 at the National Arts Center, Mt. Makiling, Laguna, the Padayon Public Service Office of the UP System prepared a batch of University personnel to write journal articles based on the public service programs they have been undertaking in the University.

Eight faculty, research, extension and professional staff members of UP Diliman, UP Los Baños, UP Manila, UP Visayas, UP Mindanao, and UP Open University went through workshop sessions on conceptual frameworks and quantitative methods of research that can best apply to their public service, so that they can come up with journal articles, either in English and Filipino, or both.

President Alfredo Pascual, Vice President for Public Affairs Edna Estifania Co, and Selection Committee members Manuel Bonifacio, Jocelyn Caragay, and Jaime Veneracion, with the team from the UP Mindanao Office of the Chancellor’s Land Reservation Management Office behind the program Economic Upliftment of the Indigenous Peoples’ Community Through Agricultural Projects, winner of the award, and […]