Alumni Milestones

UP tops CPA licensure exam performance

June 8, 2023

Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo

The UP Cesar EA Virata School of Business in UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo from the Virata School of Business on Facebook.

The University of the Philippines (UP) emerged as the top performing school in the Board of Accountancy’s May 2023 Licensure Examination for Certified Public Accountants (CPA). This was announced by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on May 30, when it released the official results.

 

Out of the 59 exam takers from UP, 55 passed—a passing percentage of 93.22. The top performing school, as determined by the PRC, must have a minimum passing percentage of 80 with at least 50 examinees. In the previous CPA licensure exam held in October 2022, UP had a passing percentage of 88.24. It did not, however, meet the required number of examinees as it only had a total of 34 exam takers, 30 of whom passed.

 

UP Diliman’s Cesar E.A. Virata School of Business offers the five-year Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accountancy program, which accepts anywhere from 60 to 90 students each academic year.

Source: https://up.edu.ph/up-tops-cpa-licensure-exam-performance/ 

UP alumna receives 2023 UAE Health Foundation Prize

Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta

Pictured here from left: Hon Chris Fearn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health of Malta and WHA76 President; Dr Maria Asuncion Silvestre from the Philippines; WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; Dr Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Sector, Ministry of Health and Prevention of the United Arab Emirates. © WHO / Pierre Albouy

An alumna of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Medicine, Dr. Maria Asuncion Silvestre, was awarded the 2023 United Arab Emirates Health Foundation Prize during the 76th World Health Assembly for her advocacy work in promoting exclusive breastfeeding and improving the health of mothers and newborns.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Silvestre is a renowned clinician and researcher, a passionate advocate for exclusive breastfeeding, and the founder of a nongovernmental organization Kalusugan ng Mag-Ina, Inc. (KMI). She designed a pioneering protocol called Essential Intrapartum and Newborn Care, consisting of a simple set of choreographed actions for health workers attending a mother during delivery and her newborn immediately after birth and during the first week of the child’s life. This affordable Essential Intrapartum and Newborn Care Protocol helps to bridge the health equity gap.

“Non-separated, the mother/newborn pair is our first food system. We should protect it as passionately and as furiously as we protect our agricultural lands, coral reefs, and rainforests,” Silvestre said during the awarding ceremony, as reported by the WHO. “We sought to ‘re-choreograph’ actions in the first minutes to hours after birth, eliminating unnecessary actions, so we formulated a time-bound sequence of steps. Many health facilities in my country and elsewhere implemented the Protocol and reaped the benefits. Evidence shows that receiving at least one of the four core steps was protective; the more elements of essential care received, the more newborn survival improved. Breastfeeding saves lives,” she added.

In collaboration with the Philippine government and 17 other countries of the WHO Western Pacific Region, Dr. Silvestre scaled up the “First Embrace” campaign for Early Essential Newborn Care, a set of simple WHO-recommended and cost-effective interventions. Her work has helped save lives at national level and beyond, earning her the 2023 UAE Health Foundation Prize.

The UAE Health Foundation Prize

According to the UAE Health Foundation Prize’s Guidelines, the prize is given to a person or persons, an institution or institutions, or an NGO or NGOs that have accomplished notable advances in the health field according to the global strategy for achieving health for all by the year 2000.

“The aim of the UAE Health Foundation Prize is to motivate health workers, including scientists, researchers, workers and specialists,” said Dr. Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary for the Public Health Sector, when presenting the prize to Dr. Silvestre on behalf of the UAE Health Foundation, “in order to make further achievements that benefit health in its various sectors and to contribute with the UN system in general and the WHO in particular to the implementation of projects and programmes that strengthen health for all around the world and address health challenges globally.”

The UAE Health Foundation Award was given during the 76th World Health Assembly, which was held in Geneva, Switzerland last 21-30 May, with this year’s theme being “WHO at 75: Saving lives, driving health for all.”

A graduate of both UPLB and UP Manila

Dr. Silvestre earned her BS in Zoology degree, magna cum laude, in 1978 from the College of Arts and Sciences of UP Los Baños, and her Doctor of Medicine degree from the College of Medicine in UP Manila in 1982. After completing advanced studies in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan and Wayne State University, she became a faculty member of the UP College of Medicine and the UP Philippine General Hospital. She advocated for breastfeeding as a core component of pediatric education, and authored a chapter on infant and young child feeding in the textbook Fundamentals of Pediatrics.

Aside from founding the KMI, Dr. Silvestre chairs the Early Essential Newborn Care Independent Review Group (IRG) of the WHO Western Pacific Region Office (WHO WPRO), and co-directs the I-CATCH community-based program for Unang Yakap and Breastfeeding with support of the American Academy of Pediatrics in Dulag municipality, Leyte.

With reports from the UP Office of Alumni Relations.

Source: https://up.edu.ph/up-alumna-receives-2023-uae-health-foundation-prize/ 

Pinoy scientist heads int’l study on dark quantum matter

Filipino physicist Dr. Jayson Cosme from the University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Science National Institute of Physics (UPD-CS NIP) recently led a team of six German researchers in pioneering a way to make a special kind of “dark” matter that can’t be observed using standard laboratory methods. His team’s findings were published in the prestigious international journal, Physical Review Letters.

UPD-CS NIP physicist Dr. Jayson Cosme led a team of German researchers in the creation of a dark-state Bose-Einstein condensate. Their groundbreaking work was published in Physical Review Letters. (Photo credit: Dr. Jayson Cosme)

Scientists are able to use laser beams to slow down the movement of the atoms in a material, causing its temperature to drop. When the temperature goes down almost to absolute zero, the individual atoms can condense together into a new state of matter with quantum properties that behaves almost like a single giant atom. Renowned physicists Albert Einstein and Satyendra Nath Bose were the first to predict its existence, hence it was named after them and is now called a Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC).

BECs can be observed and studied using special cameras. However, Dr. Cosme’s team was able to use lasers to further manipulate them so that they can’t be observed using these standard methods. “By shaking BECs in the right way, we can cause them to become quantum objects that don’t absorb, reflect, nor emit light—hence, ‘dark,’” he explained.

The flame-like glow in this experimental setup is from Rubidium-87 atoms that are about to form a Bose-Einstein condensate. (Photo credit: Dr. Andreas Hemmerich)

Dr. Cosme expressed pride and gratitude at being given the opportunity to helm an international team composed of some of the foremost researchers in his field. “I’m very honored and thankful to have been the last author on this paper, as my colleagues are all from Germany,” he said.

“This has been a very deep cooperation between myself and the group of Prof. Andreas Hemmerich, who studied under Nobel Laureate Theodor W. Haensch; as well as Prof. Ludwig Mathey’s group, which includes my close collaborator, first author Jim Skulte,” he explained.

For interview requests and other concerns, please contact [email protected].

Sources:
Jim Skulte, Phatthamon Kongkhambut, Sahana Rao, Ludwig Mathey, Hans Keßler, Andreas Hemmerich, and Jayson G. Cosme. Condensate Formation in a Dark State of a Driven Atom-Cavity System. Physical Review Letters. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.163603

Press release from UPD-CS Science Communications

UPAA bestows honors on the 2023 UPAA Alumni Awardees at Ang Bahay ng Alumni

June 6, 2023

On 19 August 2023, 6:00 PM, the UPAA will hold the Awarding Ceremonies of the 2023 UPAA Alumni Awardees at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City.
 
The UPAA Awardees are outstanding individuals recognized for their leadership, achievements, service, and contributions to create positive change in the country and in the world. This year’s awards for Most Distinguished Alumna/Alumnus are given to Maria Leonor Gerona-Robredo (AB’86) and Arsenio M. Balisacan (MS’82).
 

The UPAA gives the Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Awards to Lourdes J. Cruz, (BSChem’62), Nathaniel A. Von Einsiedel (BSArch’68), Gisela Padilla-Concepcion (BSChem’75 cl; MS’82; PhD’95), and Rene S. Santiago (BSCE’70 cl).
 

The UPAA grants the Distinguished Alumni Awards to individuals with outstanding achievements in their fields of endeavour. This year’s awardees are Roberto A. Alejandro in Art as Advocacy; Peter S. Nery in Championing Hiligaynon Literature and Regional Culture; Bryan Jayson T. Borja in Community Empowerment; Jose Edgardo G. Sunico in Corporate Social Responsibility; Raul B. Villanueva in Court Administration/Public Service; Regalado T. Jose, Jr. in Cultural Heritage Work and Advocacy; Filomena Magno-Cantoria in Education and Societal Development; Manuel Peter Paul C. Jorge II in Empowerment Through Health Education; Francisco G. Delfin, Jr. in Energy Geosciences; Manuel L. Logroño in Enterprise Development and Corporate Governance; Chan Huan Chyang in Entrepreneurship; Zaldy B. Patron in Foreign Service; Sylvia Estrada-Claudio in Gender Equality or Women Empowerment; El Cid R. Butuyan in Good Governance and Anti-Corruption; Lilia Catris-Guillermo in Good Governance and Public Service; Remedios Calma-Cruz in Human Resource Development and Empowerment; Giselle Lourdes Mangona-. Manalo in Innovation in Public Health Education; Alex B. Brillantes, Jr. in Innovative Public Administration Education; Floro R. Francisco in International Labor Relations; Alexis D.L. Reyes in Medicine (Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics); Imelda O. Degay in Nutrition Education; Celia C. Carlos in Public Service; Raul C. Pagdanganan in Public Health Promotion; Maria Asuncion A. Silvestre in Public Health Promotion (Newborn Care); Gerry A. Camer in Science and Technology; Juan Carlos T. Gonzalez in Science and Technology; Milagrosa Martinez-Goss in Science and Technology (Phycology); Lulu Carandang-Bravo in Science and Technology (Vaccine Research); and Victor B. Ella in Soil & Water Resources Management.
 
The UP Epsilon Chi Fraternity Alumni, Inc. receives the UPAA Distinguished Service Award for an Alumni Chapter. Rico V. Domingo, Norberto P. Mendoza, and Bienvenido I. Somera, Jr. are the recipients of the UPAA Presidential Awards.
 
The UPAA Multigenerational Alumni Family Award is given to a family with alumni in consecutive generations. In 2023, the Ramirez family gets the recognition with four generations of UP alumni. Three-generational alumni families with the same award are the Baconguis, Castelo, Guzman, Magno, Malate, Pangalangan, Riego-Javier, Rodriguez-Martinez-Nelson, and Valencia families.
 
About the UPAA Alumni Awards:
 
The annual UPAA Alumni Awards is an independent award program that gives recognition to UP graduates with exceptional achievements in their fields, careers, or vocations. The works of these outstanding alumni bring substantial benefit to society and give distinction to the University. The UPAA recognizes the achievements and contributions of individuals and organizations whose efforts impact the community at the local, national, or international level.

 
Press Release from UPAA Secretariat

Food content creator and TikTok’s ‘Lumpia Queen’ Abi Marquez joins KROMA Entertainment’s NYMA as exclusive talent

May 31, 2023
Abi Marquez

Abi Marquez, publicly known as TikTok’s “Lumpia Queen,” is set to shine even brighter in the tradigital space with new talent management agency NYMA, one of the brands under KROMA Entertainment, the new tradigital entertainment company backed by the ecosystem of the Globe Group.

Having debuted only last January 2022, Abi Marquez is now one of the biggest names in the “FoodTok” universe kicking off her popularity with her “What happens if we make peach mango pie with lumpia wrappers?” video.

After the video went viral, Abi created more experimental lumpia videos and turned it into a series, which consistently amassed millions of views. This earned Abi her online moniker “Lumpia Queen,” and led to a stream of fans on her TikTok channel, which now has 2.5 million followers.

Her content creation formula– a mix of experimental recipes plus ASMR and on-the-beat sounds— has won the hearts of food enthusiasts including Erwan Heussaff of FEATR. She has been invited as a guest on the YouTube channel’s cooking and food discovery series.

Abi’s excellent and experimental cooking skills are no surprise, having earned a degree in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management from the University of the Philippines Diliman, where she graduated magna cum laude in 2022.

As a fresh graduate experiencing immense success in her field, Abi decided to take on content creation as a full-time career rather than pursuing her goal of going into the corporate world.

As with many online creators, the real challenge is “wearing too many hats– from brainstorming and filming to reading emails and negotiating with partners,”Abi said.

“Especially in the cooking niche, content creation can take hours of time and energy. My creative juices and energy come unexpectedly, and when they do, I want to make sure that I focus on that momentum and make my ideas come to life,” she said.

When asked how she feels about joining the talent management agency, Abi said: “I’m very happy because I know I’m in the right hands.”

“NYMA made me feel that I’m not just another number in a talent portfolio. I didn’t just hear – I saw – how they genuinely care for their talents, and value their individuality and creative freedom. They are industry veterans who are extremely professional but still pass the vibe check.”

Kat Bautista, Head of NYMA, said there is a lot of potential in Abi especially with food as a popular niche on social media.

“We are elated to have Abi join NYMA. She’s an incredible force in the kitchen and has a multitude of other talents we can’t wait to unleash for the world to see. WRAPPED with NYMA’s support, get ready for Abi to be on a roll with her projects!”

NYMA is currently home to notable artists including celebrity and vlogger Kristel Fulgar, Home Buddies founder Frances Cabatuando, and visual artist and content creator Raco Ruiz.

Short for “Now You Must Aspire,” NYMA aims to make its stars shine and help them realize their full potential. The talent management agency and production house gives its talents unparalleled support, helping them expand their content and reach on all tradigital platforms.

NYMA recognizes Abi’s immense talent and love for her craft, and is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible to take her career to greater heights, give her unparalleled value, and help her break new ground in the tradigital space.

For more on Abi, follow her on:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@abigailfmarquez
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abigailfmarquez/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abigailfmarquez
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lumpiaqueen
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lumpiakween

Source: https://mb.com.ph/2023/5/30/food-content-creator-and-tik-tok-s-lumpia-queen-abi-marquez-joins-kroma-entertainment-s-nyma-as-exclusive-talent

IPB names hibiscus hybrid after LANDBANK president and CEO

May 30, 2023



UPLB, through the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB), launched a new hibiscus hybrid named after Cecilia Cayosa Borromeo, outgoing president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Land Bank of the Philippines.

The gumamela hybrid was formally presented to Borromeo on May 22 at the Diosdado Macapagal Hall, LANDBANK Plaza in Malate, Manila, where President Borromeo delivered her last State of the Bank Address. UPLB officials and researchers led by Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr. were present during the awarding ceremony.

Developed by IPB plant breeder Agripina Rasco, the hybrid Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Cecilia Cayosa Borromeo’ has delightfully radiant and captivating colors.

Its large, thick bloom is accentuated by a jagged maroon core and thin lines running across soft lemon-yellow petals defined by darker hues along its edges.

The Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Cecilia Cayosa Borromeo’ is the latest addition to the “Women in Public Service Series” of the Hibiscus Breeding Program of IPB.

Borromeo’s honoring with the hibiscus hybrid is in recognition of her efforts in developing and promoting programs that aim to help improve the lives of Filipino farmers and fisherfolk, particularly the institutionalization of farmers’ and fisherfolk’s access to credit and agri-preneurship programs.

Borromeo is a graduate of the UPLB BS Agribusiness program. She was one of the recipients of the UP Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award in May 2022. She was also awarded Outstanding CEO for 2023 during the annual awards of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) on May 16. (Ricky Bryan U. Biagtan, Juvelle P. Villanueva)

Source: https://uplb.edu.ph/all-news/ipb-names-hibiscus-hybrid-after-landbank-president-and-ceo

UP Diliman is top-performing school in May 2023 Chemical Engineers Board Exam

May 26, 2023

Anna Regidor – Diliman Information Office

UP Diliman (UPD) is the top performing school in the May 2023 Chemical Engineers Licensure Examination, ranking first among the six higher education institutions in the list of top-performing schools. UPD had a 96.67-percent passing rate.

The DChE building. Photo by Jerald DJ. Caranza

To qualify as a top-performing school, the institution must have fielded 10 or more examinees and have at least an 80-percent passing rate.

Of the 29 passers from the Department of Chemical Engineering (DChE) of the UPD College of Engineering, three managed to enter the top 10.

They are John Vincent Yu, who ranked second place with an 89.10-percent rating; Ian Jason Ebio (3rd, 88.40%); and Jean Roven Gentolea (10th, 85.10%). According to the Professional Regulation Commission, 472 of 801 takers passed the examination administered in the National Capital Region, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legazpi, and Rosales.

Source: https://upd.edu.ph/upd-is-top-performing-school-in-may-2023-chem-engineers-board

UP Visayas congratulates its alumni from the School of Technology (SoTech) who passed the May 2023 Chemical Engineering Licensure Examination

Photo from PRC Board Facebook

UP Visayas congratulates its alumni from the School of Technology (SoTech) who passed the May 2023 Chemical Engineering Licensure Examination!

UPV ranked 3rd among the top-performing schools for the said licensure exam with a 90 percent passing rate.

Source: University of the Philippines Visayas Facebook

UPOU Office of Gender Concerns Director Elected as President of the Asian Association of Women’s Studies

May 17, 2023



The Director of the Office of Gender Concerns (OGC) of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), Dr. Finaflor F. Taylan, will serve as the president of the Asian Association of Women’s Studies (AAWS) for 2023 to 2025.

AAWS is an organization that serves as a forum to promote and discuss feminist education and research in Asia. It recently concluded the 6th AAWS Congress 2023 last May 11-12, 2023, with the theme “Locating/Centering Women and Gender in the (Post) Pandemic Era of Advanced Technology” where Dr. Taylan presented her thoughts during one plenary session on “Revisioning Gender/ Women’s Studies in the Post Pandemic World” and a paper entitled “Online Gender Sensitivity Training Course as a Public Service Initiative: For Whom and for What” in a parallel session.

Dr. Finaflor F. Taylan served as AAWS Secretary General in 2014-2016 during the term of then UPOU Chancellor Dr. Grace Javier-Alfonso. Dr. Taylan was appointed director of the Office of Gender Concerns in 2015 until 2017. She resumed the post in 2022 after coming back from study leave when she pursued her doctorate degree at the University of Southern Queensland. She is also the program chair of the Diploma in/Master of Social Work program.

For more information on the Asian Association of Women’s Studies, please visit their website at https://aawomenstudies.org/.

Congratulations and we wish you a fruitful term, Dr. Taylan!

Source: https://ogc.upou.edu.ph/news-events/upou-office-of-gender-concerns-director-elected-as-president-of-the-asian-association-of-womens-studies

UPLB scores 100% in electrical engineering licensure exam

May 11, 2023



Twenty-six examinees from UPLB made the University proud after all of them passed the April 2023 Electrical Engineers Licensure Examination.

Lance Patrick Alarcon scored a rating of 92.10%, placing him in the third spot. Mark Jayson Salud placed sixth with a rating of 91.05%.

The licensure exam was conducted in NCR, Baguio, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Koronadal, Legazpi, Lucena, Pagadian, Palawan, Pampanga, Rosales, Tacloban, Tuguegarao, and Zamboanga (Kyle Ramiel Dalangin, with information from www.prc.gov.ph).

Source: https://uplb.edu.ph/all-news/uplb-scores-100-in-electrical-engineering-licensure-exam/