UP Visayas is probably the only unit of UP whose campuses stretch across two regions – the Miagao and Iloilo City campuses in Region 6 and the Tacloban campus in Region 8. The center of fisheries education in the country, UP Visayas (UPV) aims to contribute to the development of the country through relevant instruction, research, extension programs,and training in the fields of aquaculture, fish processing technology, marine fisheries, aquatic biology, and coastal resource management. UPV also hosts a regional research center (RRC) with sections for microbiology, biochemistry, biotechnology, instrumentation, and software development.

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Iloilo City

  The UP Oblation has been reinstalled in front of the Main Building (Old Iloilo City Hall) with a fountain surrounding it. The Main Building designed by Juan Arellano in the 1930s has been restored and gloriously frames the statue that symbolizes the national university. UP Professor Emeritus Grace “Gigi” Alfonso designed the interactive pedestal for the Oblation. Starting out its life as Iloilo’s City Hall, the neoclassic main building of the Iloilo City campus was designed by National Artist for Architecture Juan Arellano. His frequent collaborator, an Italian sculptor named Francesco Ricardo Monti, crafted the two bronze figures at the entrance named Law and Order. In complete contrast to the cacophany outside its walls, the soundtrack inside the Iloilo City campus is composed of the wind tickling the leaves of the narra, acacia, mango, and mahogany trees and the constant chirping of the pied triller, golden bellied gerygone, olive backed sunbird, chestnut munia, and Eurasian tree sparrow.

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Miagao, Iloilo

  Diwata ng Dagat (Goddess of the Sea), a 16-foot sculture by National Artist Napoleon V. Abueva, stands tall and strong across the old Administration building of the Miagao campus. Diwata ng Dagat is a fitting depiction of UP Visayas’ commitment to its role as national center of excellence in marine science, fisheries, and aquaculture. Named after Tomas Fonacier, founding dean of U.P. Iloilo, Fonacier Hall houses the College of Arts and Sciences. Right beside it is a park where the cawing and chirping of the Philippine tailorbird, coucal, collared dove, and fantail, the olive-backed sunbird, collared kingfisher, zebra dove, and hooded pitta compete with the conversations of org mates and people who enjoy being immersed in greenery. Students of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences have been known to point to the Panay Gulf with the pride and tell their relatives and friends, “That’s our laboratory.” Miagao is the main campus of UP Visayas. Aside from Tacloban, Miagao is the only seaside campus of the UP System.

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Tacloban, Leyte

  Established in 1973, UP Tacloban is ranked the best in Region 8 for its programs in Accountancy, Biology, Computer Science, and Psychology. It is one of the top performing schools in the Psychometrician Board Exams, and its Communication Arts program has produced award-winning writers and performers. The College also now offers an MS in Environmental Science program, and its recently launched an undergraduate program in Applied Mathematics. Mere meters from the Oblation, the Botanical Garden faces the beautiful Cancabato Bay. Visitors are greeted by the calm of the garden and the gentle sea breeze. The garden becomes somber every November 8 as it is an important commemoration site for the victims of supertyphoon Yolanda. This is one of the most popular chill-out spots for students looking for relief from the stress of their academic workload. One hundred butterflies were released into the garden at its inauguration during the UP Centennial in 2008. Prior to the pandemic, it was a laboratory for Biology students tagging the plants as part of their lessons in Botany. The symbolism of Diwata ng Dagat. Featuring Dean Encarnacion Yap and Project Development Assistant Anne Ramirez.