Alumni Milestones

Indigenous berries show nutritional and therapeutic values

November 17, 2021

by Kyle Ramiel Dalangin



Have you ever thought about the possibility that indigenous fruits may have more nutritional benefits beyond our knowledge? And therapeutic properties, too?


Dr. Katherine Castillo-Israel, a faculty member at the UPLB Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) of the College of Agriculture and Food Science, certainly did.


This led her and two other UPLB scientists to discover the wonders of the Philippine indigenous bignay (Antidesma bunius L. (Spreng.) and lipote (Syzygium polycephaloides (C.B. Rob.) Merr.) berries.


The study aims to fill the research gaps on berries and their nutritional benefits with support from the Functional Food Program of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCHRD).


DOST-PCHRD’s BerryPinoy Program studies the indigenous berries in the Philippines and their potential benefits beyond the known nutritional value they possess.


“If we can prove their nutritional and possible therapeutic properties, then we can promote the utilization of these berries into functional foods,” Dr. Castillo-Israel said.


Unleashing the latent power of berries


The BerryPinoy Program studies the antioxidant properties of indigenous berries, specifically bignay and lipote, and their ability to provide cure for metabolic disorders associated with obesity.


Under this program are two projects. One is the “Philippine Indigenous Berries: Bioactive components and in vitro biochemical activities,” which is led by Dr. Castillo-Israel.


“Philippine Indigenous Berries: In Vivo Studies on Toxicity and Effects on Biomarkers of Obesity and Associated Metabolic Disorders (Dyslipidemia, Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress,” on the other hand, is led by Dr. Liezl M. Atienza of the College of Human Ecology and Dr. Ma. Amelita C. Estacio of the College of Veterinary Medicine.


Dr. Castillo-Israel studies the bioactive components and bioactivity of lipote and two varieties of bignay; and the effects of processing methods on the bioactivity of these fruits .


The research found that maturity and processing methods affect the antioxidant contents and activity of the berries. The antioxidant properties are highest in fully ripe flesh and seeds of both bignay varieties, while unripe lipote has appreciable phenolic and flavonoid content.


Heat treatment, specifically hot water blanching, was also found to produce higher antioxidant contents and activities compared to steam blanching and no heat treatment.


“Antioxidants prevent cancer by scavenging free-radicals in the cells. We can say that these have anti-cancer properties due to their high antioxidant capacities,” Dr. Castillo-Israel stated.


Benefits of berries


On top of their exceptional properties, these berries are also very tasteful. From jams and beverages to jellies and ice creams, bignay and lipote are ingredients that add flavor to food products.


Increased production of these berries will help not only MSMEs and industry, but also the farmers.


“These fruits which were once neglected on the farm will have their value realized for utilization into high-value products,” Dr. Castillo-Israel said.


A fully developed technology and high demand for both bignay and lipote will provide our farmers with a sure market for their produce. Who wouldn’t want a delicious fruit with tons of nutritional value?


As bignay is a shrub, it can be easily reproduced within a short period of time. Lipote, on the other hand, is a tree and requires years for it to fully grow and produce fruits.


The country currently does not produce a large volume of both berries, maybe it is time to start planting now.


Source: https://bit.ly/3noRCMq

UP Manila grads lead October 2021 physician board examination

November 12, 2021

MANILA – A total of 1,677 examinees out of 2,302 takers passed the Physician Licensure Examination in October 2021, with graduates from the University of the Philippines-Manila leading the batch, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) said Thursday.


Ian Gabriel Juyad of UP Manila emerged as the topnotcher in the examination with an 87.50 percent rating. He was followed by Jian Leal and Geremiah Llanes, who both had a score of 87.42 percent.


Alyssa May Madriaga of the University of Santo Tomas ranked third with an 87.33 percent rating. She was followed by Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health’s Rae Samontina, who had a score of 87.08.


The following examinees emerged in the top 10, according to the commission:



Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila was the top performing school in the October examination, with 101 out of 103 examinees making the cut. The university had a 98.06 passing rate.


UP-Manila ranked second with 78 passers out of 81 takers, with a passing rate of 96.30 percent.


A school can be considered a top performer in the examination if it has 50 or more examinees with at least 80 percent passing rate, PRC noted.



The PRC said the board passers should register and sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals.


“From November 22 to December 16, 2021, registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will be done on-line. Please go to www.prc.gov.ph and follow instructions for initial registration,” PRC said.


The oathtaking ceremony will be announced later in the day, according to the commission.


Source: https://bit.ly/3n8PFDV

UPLB Professor discovers new PH tree

November 10, 2021


Professor Edwino S. Fernando, alongside colleague Dr Peter G. Wilson of the Australian Institute of Botanical Science, has discovered a new species of Tristaniopsis in the Myrtaceae family (of makopa, guava, and eucalyptus among others).


Their findings were published as a journal article in Telopea, the Journal of Plant Systematics on 29 October 2021.


Tristaniopsis flexuosa, is a small tree reaching to 3 meters tall and can only be found in the Philippines, particularly on Mount Redondo, Dinagat Island.


This tree has relatively small leaves, with a smooth grey bark, which flakes to reveal a red-brown under-bark.


It was named ‘flexuosa’ because of its distinct crooked branches. Tristaniopsis flexuosa does not show any clear affinities to any other Philippine species of the genus, showing the most similarity with Tristaniopsis elliptica, a species from Borneo.


Dr Fernando is Professor Emeritus at the Department of Forest Biological Sciences and curator for palms and other forest plants at the UPLB Museum of Natural History (MNH).


He is a forest botanist and plant taxonomist who specializes in biodiversity and protected areas, biodiversity conservation policy and planning, and conservation biology and plant genetic resources.


Specimens of new species of plants and trees are deposited at the MNH Forestry Herbarium and Wood Collection. (Kristel Hope Villafuerte)


Source: https://bit.ly/3n28t7A

CEM alumni bag Kabataang Agribiz awards

November 2, 2021


CEM Excellence! This is best used to describe the five BS Agribusiness Management (BS ABM)c graduates who have been named provincial winners of the Department of Agriculture’s Young Farmers’ 1Challenge: Kabataang Agribiz.


BSABM is a degree program under CEM or the College of Economics and Management.


Kabataang Agribiz is an assistance program designed as a competition for individuals aged 18-30 that provides cash grants for business ventures that are viable and feasible. This program also aims to encourage more youth to take up careers in the field of agribusiness entrepreneurship.


The five CEM alumni, namely: Maria Alexia R. Belarmino, Giana Bianca S. Carpena, Stella Faye Estrella, Karlene Ann M. Ebora, and Claudette Anne E. Aguila secured cash grants for their projects focused on bringing a fresh, entrepreneurial approach to farming.


Belarmino, Carpena, and Estrella’s Harvest Leaf Hydroponics Farm project received a PhP 150,000 grant. Based in San Pablo, Laguna, this initiative makes use of hydroponics technology and social media to sustainably bring healthy produce to households.


Karlene Ebora, with Karlo Ray M. Ebora – also from UPLB – won PhP 100,000 for their project K.Hop Rabbitry that focuses on rabbit raising for meat production.


Claudette Aguila and her business partner, Ralph Zeus J. Recio, also won PhP 100,000 for their Simula Harvest venture which offers ready-to-eat salad mixes and salad components.


Besides the five provincial winners, someUPLB students also participated in the: Aaron V. Ogot (Honeybee-han), Kelvin Michael A. Crystal (Baryo Kape), Earl Erinel C. Ison (ECI Deals Foods and Rabbitry), Junelle V. Adrias (Smart Link), and Geneva Mae L. Cabrera (G.C. Kabuteria Chips).(Kristel Hope Villafuerte)


Source: https://uplb.edu.ph/all-news/cem-alumni-bag-kabataang-agribiz-awards/

Yuchengco Center names Dr. Milton Amayun as new President

November 1, 2021

De La Salle University (DLSU) (dlsu.edu.ph)


Yuchengco Center, a think tank hosted by De La Salle University (DLSU) and sponsored by the Yuchengco Group of Companies, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Milton B. Amayun as its new President. He succeeds Dr. Trinidad Osteria who recently retired from the position after more than a decade of service. He assumed the role on September 15, 2021.


Dr. Milton B. Amayun, President of the Yuchengco Center.


Dr. Amayun comes into the role with an extensive work portfolio of national and international engagements. Prior to his new position, he served as President of International Care Ministries Foundation, Inc. (ICMFI), a local non-government organization, from 2015 to 2020. From 2014 to 2015, he was the Senior Public Health Advisor at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Manila covering the Philippines, PNG, and Pacific Islands. He was the Family Health Team Leader for USAID/Benin in Africa from 2010 to 2014.


Dr. Amayun completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Zoology at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman in 1973. His Doctor of Medicine degree is from the UP College of Medicine in Manila. He earned his Master of Public Health, Health Policy and Management major, from Harvard University’s School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts in the United States.


Dr. Amayun is currently Part-time Professional Lecturer on social development themes at De La Salle University College of Liberal Arts, a Visiting Lecturer in Global Health at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, and a Mentor for the Harvard Alumni for Global Development. Additionally, he is the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Global Compact Network Philippines (UN GCNP), Member of the Research Advisory Board of the Zuellig Family Foundation, and an Editorial Board Member for the Christian Journal of Global Health. He was the former Lead Convenor for the Health and Nutrition Cluster of the Zero Extreme Poverty Philippines 2030.


Recognition of Dr. Amayun’s work include awards from the Philippine Science High School (Gawad Lagablab for Social Upliftment), the UP Medical Alumni Society (International Service), the UP Alumni Association (Centennial Award for Global Health), the West Michigan Asian Association (Amazing Asian), the UP International Nursing and Healthcare Forum (Professional Excellence), the International Christian Medical and Dental Association (Dignity and Right to Health) and the Fullness of Christ International Ministries.


In his inaugural meeting with the Center’s Board of Trustees chaired by Ms. Yvonne Yuchengco and attended by Board Members Bro. Armin Luistro and Dr. Reynaldo Vea, Dr. Amayun expressed his desire to revitalize the Yuchengco Center to lead and build programs that align with the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).


About Yuchengco Center


The Yuchengco Center was first inaugurated on August 29, 1994 as the ‘Yuchengco Institute of Philippines-Japan Relations.’ In 1997, the Board of Trustees renamed it ‘Yuchengco Center for East Asia’ to reflect the expansion of its concerns to Northeast and Southeast Asia. In 2002, the Board shortened its name to ‘Yuchengco Center’ to signify a shift towards a broader perspective that is more issue-oriented and policy-focused.


The Center’s institutional goals are: 1. Leadership in policy advocacy through research, conferences, publications, training and other activities that deal with social, economic and political issues in the country and the Asian region; 2. Proactive discussion of timely and emerging policy concerns; 3. Partnerships with national and international agencies that strengthen the Center’s role as a think tank for information dissemination and utilization; and 4. Contribution of research results to knowledge, policy and program development.


The Center’s thematic areas include Globalization, Regional Security and Foreign Relations, Governance and Democratization, and Human Security, particularly Health and Education. Activities include research, conferences and seminars, publications, program and project evaluations, and capacity-building for educators, planners and policymakers.


The Yuchengco Center is a non-stock, non-profit corporation with offices located at the 2nd Floor, Don Enrique T. Yuchengco Hall, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, Malate, Manila, 1004. Former President Fidel V. Ramos, Former Prime Minister Cesar E.A. Virata, Former Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro, and Mapua President Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea, along with three members of the Yuchengco Family, sit on the Board of Trustees.


For further information, please contact the Yuchengco Center at [email protected].


Source: https://mb.com.ph/2021/10/28/yuchengco-center-names-dr-milton-amayun-as-new-president/

UPLB grad tops October 2021 forester board exam

October 29, 2021

The Professional Regulation Commission announced Wednesday that 443 out of 761 examinees passed the Forester Licensure Examination given this month.


Richelle Royce Ilagan Tapulao of the University of the Philippines Los Baños topped the exam with a rating of 91.70 percent.


Nel Angela Rico Orenciana, also from UP Los Baños, placed second with 91.50 percent, while Claude Sol Talidro of Caraga State University in Butuan City placed third with 91.10 percent.


UP Los Baños was this year’s top performing school with a 100 percent passing rate.


The successful examinees who garnered the highest places in the examination are the following:



You can check the roll of successful examinees here.


Source: https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/27/21/uplb-grad-tops-october-2021-forester-board-exam

UP College of Masscom names seven Glory awardees

October 26, 2021

The UP College of Mass Communication Alumni Association has announced that seven outstanding alumni will receive the 2021 Glory Awards in a virtual ceremony on November 27.


The awardees who were selected by a distinguished jury of peers are: Maria Luz Balmaceda (corporate communications), Atty. Maria Kristina Conti (social advocacy), Abner Mercado (broadcast journalism), Catherine Garcia-Molina (film), Felix “Nonon” Padilla (performing arts), Rowena Carranza-Paraan (social advocacy), and Dr. Marianne Dayrit Sison (mass communication education).


The Glory trophy sculpted by professor emeritus Gigi Javier Alfonso will be presented to winners in recognition of their excellent work and impact in the communities they serve.


This year’s panel of jurors was composed of broadcast journalist Ces Drilon, professor emeritus Monina Movido-Escalada, former deputy press secretary Danilo Gozo, investigative journalist Malou Mangahas, and writer-director and actress Bibeth Orteza. The Glory also has two permanent jurors—UPCMC Dean and film professor Arminda Santiago and former ANC and CNN Philippines news director Jing Magsaysay, who represents the family of Dr. Gloria Feliciano, the founding dean of UP’s 56-year-old mass communications program. Dean Feliciano inspired the alumni association to launch the annual Glory Awards in 2017 in honor of her legacy of excellence and service to the mass communications field.


The winners



Marlu Balmaceda led the brand and corporate communications unit of SGV & Co., the country’s premier auditing and professional services firm, for 25 years. She was the Philippine program manager of the global Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” search. As executive director of the SGV Foundation, she helped make a difference in the lives of young students through education and entrepreneurship programs.



Atty. Krissy Conti is a human rights advocate who has defended jailed journalists, student activists, political prisoners, urban poor evictees, and quarantine “violators” during the pandemic. She helped prosecute Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, accused in the kidnapping and disappearance of UP students Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan, leading to his conviction. She also serves in the legal team that is assisting the families of persons killed during the government’s war on drugs.



Abner Mercado is renowned for documentaries about social and environmental issues, politics, and cultural anthropology. His work led him to scale Mt. Everest twice and record the moment the Philippine flag was waved from the roof of the earth. He was among the first workers displaced by the withdrawal of ABS-CBN’s franchise to operate, but he considers the experience as his “medal of valor” from his network of 21 years. Mercado won a bronze medal from the New York Film and TV Festival and a special jury prize at the 9th Moscow International Festival of Mountaineering and Adventure Film.



Cathy Garcia-Molina directed the two highest-grossing Filipino films of all time—Hello Love, Goodbye (2019) and The Hows of Us (2018) among a string of hits with ABS-CBN Star Cinema. She was nominated for best director at the Asian Academy Creative Awards for Hello Love, Goodbye. The same film won her Movie Director of the Year honors from the Philippine Movie Press Club Star Awards, duplicating her feat in 2007 when she directed that year’s biggest blockbuster One More Chance. Molina has won six times as Most Popular Film Director at the annual Guillermo Mendoza Box Office Entertainment Awards.



Nonon Padilla has staged and directed over a hundred plays, composed music, and designed sets for the country’s pre-eminent theater groups. In 1987 he founded the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Pilipino and started the Actors’ Company that produced highly regarded performers including Nonie Buencamino, Pen Medina and John Arcilla, among others. In the early years of the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), he prepared the training curriculum to guide PETA artists in honing their acting craft. Internationally, his works have been performed in New York’s Royal Theater, Singapore, Japan, and across Canada.



Weng Carranza-Paraan served as chairperson, president, and secretary-general of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines for over a decade. She waged a long campaign for justice on behalf of 57 journalists and media workers killed in the infamous Ampatuan massacre in 2009. She currently heads ABS-CBN News Public Service and produces the Lingkod Kapamilya segment and the citizen journalism program Bayan Mo, I-patrol Mo. Her ongoing projects include voters’ education and fighting disinformation thru news literacy.



Marianne Dayrit Sison is an academic leader in the public relations field. She is the founding chair and convenor of the Asia Pacific Public Relations Research and Education Network (APPRREN). In 2019 she was awarded as Educator of the Year by the Public Relations Institute of Australia and the following year, she received the Communication Excellence in Organizations (CEO EXCEL) award from the Philippine chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. She is based in Australia where she is an Honorary University Fellow and former deputy dean of media and communication at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

UPV-CFOS grads top October 2021 Fisheries Technologists Board Exam

Ms. Lenilyn Gallos






Fisheries graduates of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, UP Visayas (UPV-CFOS) topped the October 2021 Fisheries Technologist Board Exam.


Four BS Fisheries graduates of CFOS landed in the Top 10. They were Geraldin Mae D. Olaer (3rd placer, 84.25 percent), Jeremiah I. Diaz (4th placer,  84 percent), Mary Gold R. David (7th placer,  83.25 percent), and Pearlyn T. Cambronero (8th placer, 83 percent).


UPV recorded an overall passing rate of 95.83 percent in the board exam with 23 successful examinees out of 24 takers.


Three MS Fisheries graduates of UPV-CFOS also made it to the top. They were July B. Ariñez (2nd placer), Arnel G. Nudalo (7th placer), and Honey Lyn R. Gomez (9th placer).


The Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) announced that 211 out of 715 examinees or 29.55 percent passed the licensure exam given by the Board of Fisheries on October 6-7, 2021 in Manila, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legazpi, Lucena, Tacloban, Tuguegarao, and Zamboanga.


Source: https://bit.ly/3pqFQCA


Photos by UP Fisheries Guild, UP Ichthyophilic Society, UPV Graduate Students in Fisheries Association

UPCN Alumna becomes this year’s Anastacia Giron Tupas Awardee

October 20, 2021


The UP College of Nursing congratulates Cora delos-Angeles Anonuevo, RN, PhD – this year’s Anastacia Giron Tupas Awardee!


The Anastacia Giron Tupas Award is the highest award bestowed by the Philippine Nurses Association to an outstanding nurse who exemplifies the values and virtues of Anastacio Giron Tupas, the founder of the Filipino Nurses Association (now the Philippine Nurses Association).


Mabuhay ka Dr. Anonuevo!!!


Source: UP College of Nursing