Carillon is published by the
University of the Philippines
Office of Alumni Relations
UPOU Carillon: From the Editor’s Desk
When National Artist Juan Nakpil designed the Carillon Tower, did he realize how his creation would come to symbolize not just the passage of time, but timelessness as well?
As the steadfast staff of the UP System Office of Alumni Relations prepared for the 8th issue of Carillon—the only systemwide magazine made especially for UP alumni—I realized that we have yet to pay tribute to the edifice that gave us our publication’s masthead. My cursory research led me to discover that its full name is actually the Andres Bonifacio Central Carillon Tower. Since its construction in 1952*, it has stood as a literal timekeeper with its hourly chimes. But over the decades, it has come to signify so much more.
While UPCAT hopefuls offer their used pencils at Oblation’s base, the Carillon beckons its graduates back. While Oble stands for honor and excellence, the Carillon is a beacon for constancy.
Carillon Magazine thus aims to provide such constancy of purpose. Despite financial challenges for its printing and publication, the Office of Alumni Relations maintains its commitment to publish it year after year. We do so, not merely to ignite nostalgia, but to chronicle our community’s milestones and to inform our UP alumni, wherever they may be. Because, as the song goes, “malayong lupain, amin mang marating. ‘Di rin magbabago ang damdamin.”
In these pages, we highlighted some of the numerous programs and activities which our faculty, students, and alumni spearheaded in 2023-2024. These include the tedious but rewarding task of building an alumni association from the base of the iconic CASAA (College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Association) to an independent alumni association for CSSP (College of Social Sciences and Philosophy); the outstanding achievement of UPLB alumnus Jaemark Tordecilla as he relays his adventures as a Nieman Journalism Fellow at Harvard University; and a hooray for our own UP Maroons Pep Squad as they continue their onward fight to the top. We also invited an award-winning writer as our Copy Editor for this issue, UP Diliman alumna Yvette Tan, who also narrates our favorite campus haunted tales.
Our past is indeed illustrious, but this does not mean we do not forge ahead, conquering new pathways. At the heart of our 2024 issue is our featured constituent university, the UP Open University. We interviewed its forward-thinking leader, three-term chancellor, Dr. Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria, and also chronicled its pioneering academic programs.
As you peruse these Carillon articles, we hope that you feel connected to our community and that you see how these are testaments to how UP continues to innovate even as we celebrate our distinguished past.
My gratitude to OVPPA Assistant Vice-President Dr. Jeanette Yasol-Naval for her guidance and to my fellow directors, MPRO Dir. Larissa Mae Suarez and Padayon Dir. Cherish Aileen Brillon for their support. Last but certainly not least, deep thanks to the OAR Staff for their sincere commitment to our mandate of serving the UP alumni and our shared community.
K.C. M. Abalos-Orendain, Ph.D.
Managing Editor
Director, Office of Alumni Relations