Alumni Milestones

UP Manila extends its heartfelt congratulations to the graduates of the College of Allied Medical Professions who have successfully passed the Physical Therapist Licensure Examination (PTLE) and Occupational Therapist Licensure Examination (OTLE).

A special commendation to our outstanding Topnotchers for their exemplary performance:

PTLE Topnotchers:

Ma. Barbara Tolentino Manalaysay – 2nd Place, 89.40%
Claire Chan Bathan – 6th Place, 89.00%

OTLE Topnotchers:

Kizha Marie Sevidal Gabutan – 1st Place, 85.00%
Adrian Andag Silva – 4th Place, 83.00%
Chloe Julienne Kapunan Abrasada – 6th Place, 82.40%
Irish Marie Esguerra Ilagan – 7th Place, 82.00%
Jamie Christine Enriquez Meneses – 7th Place, 82.00%
Nicole Mari Savillo Olorvida – 7th Place, 82.00%
Ericka Josh Therese Kang Lo – 7th Place, 82.00%
Betina Mae Untalan Untalan – 7th Place, 82.00%
Leny Crystel Flores San Diego – 8th Place, 81.80%

In addition, UP Manila is proud to be recognized as the Top Performing School in the OTLE, achieving the 1st Rank with an impressive passing rate of 95.45%.

These accomplishments reflect the dedication and excellence of our graduates in the December 2023 Physical Therapist and Occupational Therapist Licensure Exam.

We extend our warmest wishes to these accomplished individuals and express our confidence in their future endeavors as healthcare professionals. May they continue to bring honor to UP Manila. Congratulations! 🎓👏

Source: University of the Philippines Manila Facebook

The COVID-19 pandemic spurred governments worldwide to respond with containment policies, with the Philippines having one of the longest and most stringent COVID-19 policies in the world. How effective were these policies in containing the pandemic and providing social and economic support to citizens? This is the question UP Diliman College of Science’s Science, Technology and Society (UPD-CS STS) researchers ventured to answer.

A novel, multidisciplinary approach

STS scientists and faculty members Prof. Benjamin Vallejo Jr, Dr. Rodrigo Angelo Ong and Asst. Prof. Ranjit Singh Rye found a new interdisciplinary approach to the problem: “We just adopted statistical methods commonly used in marine behavioral ecology. After all, government policy response is a set of behaviors that can be standardized and compared with each other. The most significant behavioral responses can be statistically modeled,” Vallejo said.

“Furthermore, a multidisciplinary perspective allows for a better contextualization of how effective the policies are,” he added.

Using standardized policy response measures collated by the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker project (OxCGRT), they assessed the effectiveness of the Philippine response from 2020 to 2022. The OxCGRT includes daily policy response and implementation data from 180 World Health Organization (WHO)-member states, from 1 Jan 2020 to 31 Dec 2022.

The STS scientists were able to determine that stringent pandemic policies—including lockdowns, quarantines, stay-at-home ordinances, and travel restrictions—were effective in containing the pandemic within the first 60 days. These are all dependent on law enforcement and a securitized approach.

Effectivity of lockdowns and vaccinations

Complete lockdowns negatively affected the economy, so there was a gradual and phased relaxing of policies beginning in May 2020. It was during the relaxing of lockdowns with limited mobility starting with essential personnel that the shortcomings of the government’s response became apparent. With lockdowns being phased out, contact tracing and testing became more necessary to immediately contain clusters of infections. The government was least effective in these efforts.

The policy analysis also revealed that the government’s vaccination rollout and prioritization, although with logistical difficulties at the start, was effective in reducing infections in the health workers sector and thus ensuring the delivery of health services The health workers received the vaccine in a shorter timeframe than the rest of the population beginning March 2021. Overall, it can be said that vaccination caused a more positive outcome in the pandemic.

It was also found that the continuation of travel health checks—such as requiring proof of vaccination, COVID-19 rtPCR tests, and, later, antigen tests—had a low odds ratio to the rate of COVID-19 case increase. This simply means that these requirements lessened the risk of spread of infections across provincial and international borders.

Mask wearing and social distancing

Non-pharmaceutical interventions such as mask-wearing and social distancing, while significantly effective at the local level, were not significantly effective at the national level. The reason is likely related to the differing levels of citizen compliance in communities. Implementation was with the local governments and reflects on political and governance realities. Politicians who implement restrictions without their constituents being consulted and convinced of the necessity of restrictions are likely to lose votes in the next election. In a democracy, citizen engagement with governments remains essential in responding to a crisis such as a pandemic while protecting civil rights according to law. Citizen participation is a central idea in STS in government.

The key role of STS in policy analysis

The UP STS scientists’ work demonstrates that STS approaches to science-informed policy analysis can objectively assess the strengths and weaknesses of government policy. The scientists hope that their study will make policy and governance more effective especially in crises.

Prof. Vallejo is a marine biologist with the UPD-CS Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology; Dr. Ong, a physician, is a professorial lecturer with the Science and Society Program; and Asst. Prof. Rye is with the Department of Political Science of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, UP Diliman. Prof. Vallejo and Dr. Ong also trained under the International Network for Governmental Science Advice (INGSA) in Malaysia on science advice and policy analysis.

Reference:
Vallejo B, Ong RAC , Rye, RS (2023) An Assessment of the Philippines government’s Response to the COVID-19 pandemic based on policy response indices. SciEngg 16 (2) 426-436

Scientists from the University of the Philippines (UP) are gently reminding the public to thoroughly wash and cook their market-bought fresh produce and seafood as a precautionary measure against parasites.

The parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, called Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), is one of the most infectious parasites in the world: it affects almost a third of the world’s population, most especially vulnerable groups such as the pregnant and immunocompromised. While most people infected with the disease do not present any symptoms, some may suffer flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, and muscle aches. But in severe cases, toxoplasmosis can cause inflammation of the brain and blurry vision. Infected parents’ newborn infants may suffer from excessive fluid in the brain and developmental issues. Fortunately, treatments are available for toxoplasmosis, hence symptomatic individuals are advised to seek timely medical attention.

Cielo Emar M. Paraoan, Ren Mark D. Villanueva, and Marie Christine M. Obusan of the UP Diliman College of Science’s Institute of Biology (UPD-CS IB) found that T. gondii is fairly common in vegetables and oysters that they sampled from local markets in Central Luzon. Among the vegetables tested were lettuce, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, and mung bean sprouts.

Six out of sixty (10%) collected vegetable samples contained traces of T. gondii, with leafy vegetables found to be more contaminated than root vegetables. Similarly, for oysters, 9.09% or four out of 44 samples were also contaminated. The researchers noted that the T. gondii traces found on both vegetables and oysters are of Type I genotype. The researchers aim to investigate further the genotypes of T. gondii that will be detected in the country, as Asia is reported to have a high degree of genetic diversity.

The study provides evidence that T. gondii may be transmitted through vegetables and oysters that are being sold in supermarkets and public markets. However, the researchers noted that they only tested a small sample size, and more studies with bigger sample sizes must be conducted. At present, they have an ongoing study that detects the parasite in environmental samples.

The study also underscores the importance of adequately preparing fresh produce and seafood to eliminate not just T. gondii but also other parasites that may be present. The authors also emphasized the need for better management of biological pollutants.

“The most sustainable approach for reducing the risk of T. gondii exposure through the consumption of seafood should focus on reducing T. gondii contamination at its source, as well as mitigating the flow of contaminated runoff to water bodies,” the authors said in their paper, published in the October 2023 issue of the Philippine Journal of Science.

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

References:

Paraoan CE et al. 2023. Molecular Detection and Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Ready-to-eat Vegetables and Oysters in Central Luzon, Philippines. Philipp J Sci 152(5): 1989–1998. https://doi.org/10.56899/152.05.36

Four new veterinarians from UPLB secured top ranks in the October 2023 Veterinarians Licensure Examination (VLE).

These are Diego Antonio Gonzalez Hernandez, who with a rating of 83.42%, landed third in the top ten; Denielle Fuentes Germodo, 81.98%, secured the sixth place; Princess Jamie Aranillo Provido, at 80.78% rating, got the eighth place; and John Kenneth Lee Dudan, 80.70%, landed in the ninth place.

UPLB had an overall passing rate of 35.94%, the highest rating among all participating schools. Nationwide, 92 out of 985 takers passed the VLE that was administered by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

The examination was conducted in NCR, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Koronadal, Legazpi, Lucena, Rosales, Tacloban and Tuguegarao by the Board of Veterinary Medicine in October 2023. (Czerah Jade P. Maycacayan)

Source: https://uplb.edu.ph/all-news/uplb-claims-four-spots-in-vle-top-ten/