Alumni Milestones

By Arlie O. Calalo

GEN. Andres Castor Centino formally assumed his post as 59th Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff, replacing Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro in a turnover rites presided by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin at Camp Aguinaldo on Saturday.

Centino thanked President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for his trust and confidence, and for naming him new AFP chief of staff.

Centino previously served as commanding general of the Philippine Army from May 14, 2021, to Dec. 10, 2021.

His other prior posts include 4th Infantry Division commander, deputy chief of staff for operations, J3, and 401st Infantry Brigade commander.

Centino graduated from the Philippine Military Academy as cum laude in 1988.

He holds a master’s degree in Business Management from the University of the Philippines, a master’s degree in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., and a certificate in Strategic Business Economic Program from the University of Asia and the Pacific.

Centino implemented four major thrusts within the military, which include operational efficiency, optimal use of resources, advancement of professionalism and meritocracy within the organization, and capability development.

Under his leadership, the AFP successfully launched military campaigns against insurgents and local terrorist groups resulting in the dismantling of guerilla fronts in affected communities.

Source: https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/01/07/news/centino-assumes-post-as-afp-chief-of-staff/1873169

By Featuresdesk



Visual artist Carlito Camahalan Amalla, a member of the Agusanon Manobo tribe, pays homage to the Filipino indigenous communities in his latest solo exhibition in Berlin, Germany.

Entitled Mandala: Concert of Cultures, it featured a collection of 12 contemporary Mandala art – wood carvings with acrylic paint and repousse brass sheet – inspired from unearthed Surigao and Butuan gold from ancient civilizations.



Amalla, founder and head of the Agusan Artists Association in Butuan City and the Balangay Artists Association in Manila, utilized the Mandala as a spiritual and ritual symbol in Asian cultures to encapsulate, narrate and embrace the diverse and dynamic nature, culture and literature of the Filipino lives.

“Mandala is a symbol of the universe in its ideal form,” he stated. “It signifies the transformation of the cosmic life from chaos, challenges, and struggles into order, organic unity and joy. It is also a form of prayer and meditation.”

Each piece showcased a radial design that represents a kaleidoscope of signs and meanings, a collective community and the artist’s role in safeguarding the Philippine ecosystem from exploitation and destruction.

“It is an homage to the Philippine indigenous tribes, whose lives are intrinsically linked with the world they inhabit, the traditional knowledge of their ancestors and the spiritual realm of their deities,” Amalla explained.

Amalla is a performer, puppeteer, dancer, chanter, musician, ceramist and researcher, who has participated in exhibitions in Wales, Belgium, England, and USA.



He holds a Bachelor in Fine Arts with Major in Sculpture and a Master’s degree in Art History, both from the University of the Philippines. His Agusan Manobo embroidery art thesis, paintings, and puppetry in Sinuyaman: Awit ni Baylan were part of the Mindanao: Cartography of History, Identity and Representation presented at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London in 2019.

He is a recipient of the 2021 Asia Pacific Luminare Award and 2020 Outstanding Leadership in Culture and the Arts Award in New York City. He currently imparts his knowledge under the Design Foundation of the School of Arts, Culture and Performance of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.

Mandala: Concert of Cultures was held at the Philippine Embassy in Germany in Berlin, through the support of the consulate and Amalla’s major sponsor Pacita Hienrich. It was curated by ML Ganzon.

Source: https://pageone.ph/mandala-artworks-of-filipino-tribe-member-showcased-in-germany/

John Bryan Ulanday – Philstar.com



MANILA, Philippines – Ronnie Magsanoc will serve as the new UAAP basketball commissioner, taking over from newly minted Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Richard Bachmann.

Bachmann Friday confirmed the appointment of the 56-year-old Magsanoc for the job he vacated after being officially sworn in as chief of the PSC earlier this week.

With the men’s and women’s basketball of the ongoing UAAP Season 85 already finished, Magsanoc is expected to oversee the juniors basketball this month to fire off the remaining second semester events.

Magsanoc, concurrently serving as assistant coach for Meralco Bolts in the PBA and Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) 3×3 program director, will also handle the UAAP 3×3 basketball.

He will carry a good momentum from Bachmann, former Alaska executive and PBA 3×3 chairman, who introduced innovations to UAAP basketball including the coach’s challenge.

But more than that, Magsanoc will be in for a UAAP homecoming of sorts albeit at a different capacity as a former player of the University of the Philippines.

Magsanoc formed a formidable trio with Benjie Paras and Eric Altamirano in winning the UAAP championship in 1986 for UP, which proved to be the school’s last before ending a 36-year title drought this year.

A member of the PBA’s 25 Greatest Players, Magsanoc as head coach also steered his high school alma mater San Beda to NCAA championship in 2012.

Source: https://www.philstar.com/sports/2023/01/06/2235758/magsanoc-named-new-uaap-basketball-commissioner

Written by Fred Dabu

Nanumpa si Katuwang na Propesor Carl Marc Ramota bilang ika-27 na Rehente ng Kaguruan o Faculty Regent ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (UP) sa seremonya ng panunumpa kaninang umaga, ika-4 ng Enero 2023, sa UP Board of Regents (BOR) Room sa Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City.

Katuwang na Propesor ng Agham Pampulitika si Ramota. Siya ay magsisilbing kinatawan ng mahigit 4,000 kaguruan ng UP sa BOR o Lupon ng mga Rehente hanggang ika-31 ng Disyembre 2024.

Bilang rehente, ang ilan sa kanyang mga layuning matupad sa loob ng dalawang taon ay: rebyuhin at repasuhin ang mga patakarang nakakaapekto sa empleyo at gawaing akademiko ng kaguruan, higit pang isulong ang well-being ng kaguruan, madagdagan ang mga benepisyo at pribilehiyo sa mga serbisyo at pasilidad ng UP, at matugunan ang mga suliranin sa empleyo tulad ng tenure at work overload.

Nagsilbing pambansang pangulo ng All UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU) si Ramota noong 2017-2020 at pangulo ng tsapter ng AUPAEU sa UP Manila noong 2014-2017. Siya ay aktibo sa mga adbokasiya at pambansang organisasyong nagsusulong ng kapakanan ng mga guro at kawani sa sektor ng edukasyon, at ng karapatang pantao. Siya ay Convenor ng network na Akademya at Bayan Kontra Disimpormasyon at Dayaan (ABKD) mula 2021; fellow sa governance think tank na Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) mula 2011 hanggang sa kasalukuyan; board member ng Crispin B. Beltran Resource Center, isang labor think tank, mula 2012 hanggang sa kasalukuyan; at Chairperson ng Alliance of Concerned Teachers – State Universities and Colleges (ACT-SUC) mula 2014 hanggang 2021.

Si Ramota ay naging Chairperson ng Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), UP Manila noong 2010-2013, at coordinator ng programa nito sa Political Science mula 2008-2014.

Inaanyayahan ni Ramota ang kaguruan na maging aktibo sa paggawa ng mga desisyon at sa mga kampanya sa pangangalaga ng kalayaang akademiko at sibil sa loob at labas ng pamantasan.

Source: https://up.edu.ph/bagong-faculty-regent-nanumpa/

The University of the Philippines (UP) has appointed a new faculty regent to join its highest policymaking body ahead of other major changes in leadership this year. On Wednesday, outgoing UP president Danilo Concepcion swore in Carl Marc Ramota as the 27th faculty regent in a ceremony held at Quezon Hall in UP Diliman.

Ramota, an associate professor of political science in UP Manila, will represent the over 4,000 teachers of the state university before the Board of Regents (BOR) until Dec. 31, 2024. As one of the three sectoral regents in the BOR, he is expected to review and approve policies and programs affecting the university’s teaching staff and also promote and protect their well-being. —KRIXIA SUBINGSUBING

Source: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1713133/up-appoints-new-regent-board-member

All 116 examinees from UPLB passed the Agriculturist Licensure Exam (ALE) administered by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), earning UPLB the distinction as the lone top-performing school.

To be classified as a top-performing school in the ALE, a school must have at least 50 examinees and an 80% or better passing percentage.

Out of the 4,035 passers, two UPLB graduates made it to the top ten examinees. Rio S. Antion ranked first with a rating of 86.63%, and Miki Angela T. Kurahashi ranked sixth with a rating of 85.50%.

According to the PRC website, 34.57% of examinees passed the ALE given by the Board of Agriculture in November 2022. (Antoinette Sia)

Source: https://uplb.edu.ph/all-news/uplb-gets-100-passing-rate-in-ale/

Four medical alumni of the UP Manila College of Medicine were among the recipients of the The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award for 2022 for their noteworthy contributions to the growth of their community and professions.

Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho, Dr. Ronnie Baticulon, and Dr. Ramon Lorenzo Luis Guinto, were cited in the category of health and medicine while Dr. Paul Gideon Lasco was recognized for academia and education. The four awardees will join a long list of esteemed recipients from the TOYM awards’ six decades of history with the awarding ceremony to be held in January 2023.

Beverly Lorraine Ho, MD, MPH, is DOH OIC-Undersecretary of Health/Assistant Secretary of Health. She became the head of Health Promotion at the start of the pandemic. In 2021, she also served as director of the DOH Disease Prevention and Control Bureau. She has been the focal person for the promotion of healthy practices and safety standards as the country coped with the pandemic and has participated actively in the Bida and ResBakuna informational campaigns for the agency.

She works to provide the evidence needed to support health system reforms by designing innovative research grants and building institutional capacity for policy research. These initiatives have greatly aided in the adoption of important laws pertaining to the taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages, the establishment of universal health care (UHC), and institutionalization of the health technology evaluation process in the Philippines. 

Dr. Ho was also recognized by the TOWNS Foundation as one of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service this year.

Dr. Baticulon, a pediatric neurosurgeon, specializes in procedures done on children with congenital and acquired disorders of the brain and the spinal cord. He works with the Hydrocephalus Foundation and the Spina Bifida Foundation of the Philippines, which provides neurosurgical care for charity patients.

Dr. Baticulon, UPCM professor, has completed researches in global neurosurgery. His ongoing research project can be utilized in mapping out universal health care plans to provide essential neurosurgical care to every Filipino who needs it.

In 2019, the UP Press published Dr. Ronnie Baticulon’s first book, “Some Days You Can’t Save Them All,” containing his essays on medical school and neurosurgery training. He was also named one of the “Outstanding Young Scientists” in 2022 by the National Academy of Science and Technology.

Dr. Guinto is recognized as one of the world’s pioneers in the new field of planetary health—a scientific and solutions-oriented approach to addressing health issues arising from global environmental changes traced to human activity. He is the chief planetary health scientist and co-founder of the newly established Sunway Centre for Planetary Health in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He is also a member of the National Panel of Technical Experts of the Climate Change Commission of the Philippines and convener of Planetary Health Philippines – a community of Filipino scholars and practitioners for advancing the new discipline of planetary health. 

He has also been cited as one of the 50 Most Influential Voices in Health Care Globally, a list drawn up by the online health information platform Medika Life.

A doctor and expert in medical anthropology, Dr. Lasco holds the positions of senior lecturer at the UP Diliman Department of Anthropology, affiliate faculty at the Social Medicine Unit at the UP College of Medicine, research fellow at the Ateneo de Manila University Development Studies Program, and honorary fellow at the Centre for Criminology at Hong Kong University.

Dr. Lasco’s research projects, which have produced over 40 journal articles and book chapters in the last four years, have been focused on contemporary health issues, such as drug use and drug policy, COVID-19, and medical populism. He was also named one of the 2022 Outstanding Young Scientists of the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines. 

(Charmaine A. Lingdas)

Source: https://www.upm.edu.ph/node/4085