Alumni Milestones

Jeff Canoy, ABS-CBN News

MANILA — ABS-CBN News chief Regina “Ging” Reyes has been recognized by a global network of news publishers for her “exceptional contribution to the newsroom, editorial integrity, and outstanding leadership.”

Reyes was named the 2022 Southeast Asia Laureate for Women in News Editorial Leadership by the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) on Thursday, September 29 in Zaragoza, Spain.

The Women in News Editorial Leadership Award recognizes “the exemplary contribution of a leader to her newsroom, and under her leadership, her media organization’s contribution to society.” One “exceptional” editorial leader each from Africa, the Arab Region, and Southeast Asia is named Laureate, annually.

The 74-year-old WAN-IFRA is an organization whose members represent news organizations across 120 countries and whose mission is to uphold the rights of journalists worldwide.

Along with Reyes, Zimbabwe Independent’s first woman editor Faith Zaba and Diana Moukalled, co-founder of independent media platform Daraj.com, were also named Laureates for 2022.

“Equality and inclusion in the media are essential for a healthy and representative society. We are happy to welcome our 2022 laureates, Zaba, Moukalled and Reyes, to the group of media leaders who play an exceptional role in making a difference in media while contributing to these fundamental ideals.,” WAN-IFRA CEO Vincent Peyregne said in his congratulatory message during the awarding of the 2022 Laureates.

Reyes was awarded on the second day of the 2022 World News Media Congress, an annual gathering of global news leaders, in Zaragoza.

King Felipe VI of Spain attended the Congress where he also led the awarding of the 2022 Golden Pen of Freedom, an annual press freedom award, to Polish media outfit Gazeta Wyborcza Foundation for its contribution in safeguarding independent journalism.

In her speech during the awarding ceremony, Reyes highlighted the need for journalists to continue doing the work amid attacks on press freedom across the world.

“A fellow journalist recently told me that ‘we are an endangered species.’ I couldn’t help but feel sad and old. Some of our colleagues have taken a step back from journalism and are pursuing different career paths out of frustration, disappointment and uncertainty,” Reyes said.

“We’ve been disrupted and we need to keep and regain the trust of our public. But we cannot give up on this profession. I feel a sense of urgency in the need to help our young journalists stay true to our mission. Even as we seek new ways of reaching audiences, the role of journalists in a democracy, the practice of truth-telling and the values that enable it, must be constant.”

Reyes, 59, is the longest-serving news chief of media company ABS-CBN starting in 2010. Previously, she served as the organization’s North America Bureau chief from 2002-2010, founding bureau operations from the ground up.

Reyes began her news career in ABS-CBN as a production assistant in 1986, as the country was regaining its democracy after years under martial law, and as the organization relaunched its operations after it was ordered shuttered by the government. She climbed the ranks, eventually becoming one the newsroom’s top editors and producers. She became the executive producer of the country’s longest running newscast, The World Tonight.

In her leadership posts, Reyes ushered the newsroom’s transition into digital and multi-platform reporting as well as integrated news operations. She has mentored many young news producers and working journalists.

In 2020, Reyes was the news head when ABS-CBN was once again ordered by the government to shut down its free-to-air broadcast operations after the company’s legislative franchise expired. During congressional hearings to renew the franchise, Reyes defended the importance of press freedom and the role of journalists in a free society. Lawmakers, however, ultimately revoked the application to renew the license.

After ABS-CBN was removed from free-to-air television, activists and media observers described the order as one of the “worst attacks on press freedom” under the Duterte administration.

The order resulted in ABS-CBN downsizing its operations but continued to report news on digital and cable platforms. Under her leadership, ABS-CBN remains one of the top news organizations in the country.

During the ceremony, Reyes dedicated the award to the ABS-CBN newsroom.

“This honor comes at a time when our news organization continues to be severely challenged on many fronts. I am deeply moved and humbled to receive this recognition on behalf of my entire news team, most especially the women in our newsroom and in the field. They are at the forefront of our battle to defend media freedom in our country and preserve the values of our profession. And I am here only because of their collective hard work and sacrifice,” Reyes said.

Source: https://news.abs-cbn.com/amp/news/09/29/22/abs-cbn-news-chief-is-2022-southeast-asia-laureate-for-women-in-news-editorial-leadership

Several graduates from the University of the Philippines – Diliman made it to the list of topnotchers of the September 2022 Librarian Licensure Examination, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced Friday evening.

UP-Diliman graduate Marzo Meco Bagayaua Alfonso is the first placer gaining a percentage of 88.20, besting 250 examinees who successfully hurdled the exams.

The rest of the graduates who made it to the Top Ten list are the following:



The top performing schools with more than six examinees and with at least 80 percent passing percentage are: University of the Philippines – Diliman and Saint Paul University – Surigao

Click here for complete list of passers.

Source: https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/845132/up-diliman-grads-dominate-september-2022-librarian-exams/story/

At least seven faculty members serve as presidents of professional and academic associations in the country. This may be because service is deeply ingrained into a UP faculty member’s mind. In our list are the following:

Dr. Jezie A. Acorda, Philippine Association of Veterinary Medicine Educators and Schools (PAVMES). He is the dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, where he is a full professor at the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Gifu University, and a Master of Agriculture from Obihiro University, Japan. He has published more than 120 journal articles covering ultrasonography, acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, and blood biochemistry in domestic and wild animals.

Dr. Acorda is PAVMES president from 2022 to 2024. PAVMES was established in 2004 to unite the 24 veterinary colleges in the Philippines “into a single, vital, and dynamic association.” Its activities seek to uphold excellence and quality in veterinary instruction, research, community extension, production, resource generation and utilization, and information data management in the country.

Prince Kennex R. Aldama, Philippine Sociological Society (PSS). As assistant professor, he teaches political sociology and sociology of religion at the Department of Social Sciences (DSS)-CAS. He obtained his MA and BA Sociology (cum laude) from UPLB, and currently serves as the program coordinator for curriculum development at the Office for Institutional Development in Higher Education (OIDHE). He has authored textbooks for college students, and has written op-ed articles for Rappler and the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Aldama is PSS president from 2021 to 2022. PSS was established in 1953 to encourage and disseminate the study and discussion of affairs in sociology and related social sciences. It publishes annually the Philippine Sociological Review, a research journal accredited by the Commission on Higher Education.

Dr. Ariel L. Babierra, Mathematical Society of the Philippines (MSP)-CALABARZON Chapter. He is an associate professor at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics-College of Arts and Sciences, and chair of the Curriculum Committee at Mathematics Division. He also serves as the Quality Assurance Officer of the Graduate School. He obtained his PhD Mathematics from UP Diliman. His research interests are in Approximation Theory, Combinatorics, and Graph Theory.

Dr. Babierra is the president of the MSP CALABARZON from 2022 to 2024. MSP CALABARZON was founded in 2010 at UPLB. It is composed of mathematics practitioners and enthusiasts in the academe and research institutions. It aims to promote the interest and awareness of mathematics and its applications; to seek and promulgate knowledge in mathematics and mathematics education; and to promote mathematics research in the country. It conducts seminars, workshops and trainings for mathematics educators, researchers, and students.

Mark Lester M. Chico, Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE). He is the director of the UPLB Office of Public Relations, and an assistant professor who teaches community broadcasting and multimedia courses at the College of Development Communication. A holder of MS and BS Development Communication (cum laude) from UPLB, he is a radio, television, online program, and events host, producer, and director. He is the founder of Gandingan: The UPLB Isko’t Iska’s Multimedia Awards.

Director Chico leads PACE from 2021 to 2023. PACE is committed to pushing for policies that are responsive to the needs of local and national academic and industry-based communities, adapting to changes by continuously capacitating its members in navigating toward rehumanizing communication education amid technological dependency, caring for one another as they safeguard their health and welfare, and empowering their sector by providing opportunities for collaboration and development of their crafts and expertise. Among its founders was the late Professor Emeritus Nora C. Quebral, known in the communication circles as the “Mother of Development Communication.” PACE was created in 1975.

Dr. Emmanuel Ryan C. de Chavez, Malacological Society of the Philippines, Inc. (MSPI). He is an associate professor at the Animal Biology Division, Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, and conducts research on tropical malacology, community ecology, evolutionary biology, and developmental ecotoxicology. He is the curator for mollusks at the Museum of Natural History, and holds a PhD in Life Sciences from Tohoku University, Japan.

Dr. de Chavez is the president of MSPI from 2021 to 2023. It aims to promote the science of Malacology to scientists, teachers, researchers, students, and mollusk enthusiasts. It regularly conducts national conventions and workshop-trainings to advance the field in the country. The MSPI was founded in 1980 by malacologists, zoologists, and parasitologists from UP Diliman, UP Manila, and the then Ministry of Health (now the Department of Health).

Julie Aiza L. Mandap, Philippine Phytopathological Society (PPS), Inc. She heads the Pest Biology and Biodiversity Division of the Institute of Weed Science, Entomology, and Plant Pathology of the College of Agriculture and Food Science. She finished MS Plant Pathology (highest distinction) at Iowa State University, USA, and is a member of the American Phytopathological Society, and the Iowa and Philippine Chapters of the Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Society of Agriculture.

PSS, Inc. was organized by plant pathologists from UPLB in 1963. Its activities focus on extending plant pathology to the community, providing assistance through training, consultation, disease diagnosis, and support to activities related to managing plant diseases. It is one of the six professional associations under the Pest Management Council of the Philippines. Asst. Prof. Mandap is PSS president from 2022 to 2023.

Dr. Maria Ana T. Quimbo, Philippine Association of Agri-vironment Educators and Entrepreneurs, Inc. (PASSAGE). She is a professor and a UP Scientist II at the Institute for Governance and Rural Development of the College of Public Affairs and Development. A holder of PhD Education from UP Diliman, she currently chairs the same program at the UP Open University. Her research focuses on evaluation studies in distance education, e-learning, education policy and practice, curriculum studies, and community development, among others.

Established in 1981, PASSAGE members include educators and researchers, environmentalists, entrepreneurs, extension workers, administrators and policymakers, and students of agriculture, environment, and entrepreneurial education. It holds the PASSAGE Biennial Convention and International Research Conference and publishes the PASSAGE Journal. Dr. Quimbo is PASSAGE president from 2022 to 2024. (Mark Jayson E. Gloria)

Source: https://uplb.edu.ph/all-news/uplb-profs-at-the-helm-of-natl-professional-orgs/

By NIKA ROQUE, GMA News

Filipino pediatrician Bernadette J. Madrid is one of the 2022 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees.

The announcement was made by Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation via a Zoom event on Wednesday.

A children’s rights and protection crusader, Madrid has devoted her career to addressing violence against the youth. An active multi-hyphenate, her work involves her being a doctor, educator, researcher, social leader, organizer, and advocate.

Born in Iloilo, she studied medicine and pediatrics at University of the Philippines Manila and did a post-residency fellowship in ambulatory pediatrics at Montefiore Medical Center in New York.

Since 1997, Madrid has been serving as the head of the Philippine General Hospital Child Protection Unit (PGH-CPU), the first facility of its kind in the country, which is praised as “the best medical system for abused children in Southeast Asia.”

A one-stop health facility, PGH-CPU provides a coordinated program of medical, legal, social, and mental health services for abused children and their families. As of 2021, it has served 27,639 children.

It became the axis of a national network of child protection units when the Child Protection Network Foundation Inc., a partnership of civil society, academe, and government, was established in 2002. As CPN executive director, Madrid designed programs and engaged with family courts, schools, hospitals, local government units, community organizations, and policymakers in advancing the cause of child protection.

She also oversees and coordinates the network’s five areas of work: medical and psychosocial care; child safety and legal protection; a national program for training in child protection; a national network called the Network of Women and Child Protection Units (WCPUs); and research for a national database on child abuse.

The network now consists of 123 WCPUs in 61 provinces and 10 cities, which have served 119,965 children and adolescents, and 30,912 women. The network has a total staff of 237 physicians, 199 social workers, and eighty-five police officers.

“I feel that I was prepared to do this work,” Madrid said in a statement. “I was given the talent to do this and it has developed as I worked. That’s why I’m happy. It has become, for me, work that is God’s work.”

In electing Madrid to receive the 2022 Ramon Magsaysay Award, the board of trustees “recognizes her unassuming and steadfast commitment to a noble and demanding advocacy; her leadership in running a multisectoral, multidisciplinary effort in child protection that is admired in Asia; and her competence and compassion in devoting herself to seeing that every abused child lives in a healing, safe, and nurturing society.”

Other awardees include psychiatrist and mental health advocate Sotherea Chhim from Cambodia; sight-saving humanitarian and ophthalmologist Tadashi Hattori from Japan; and anti-plastic pollution warrior Gary Bencheghib, based in Indonesia.

The laureates will conduct their virtual lectures from September to November. The awards presentation will be held on Nov. 30, livestreamed from Manila. – RC, GMA News

Source: https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/content/843300/bernadette-madrid-filipino-pediatrician-among-2022-ramon-magsaysay-awardees/story/