One of the pillars of special education (SPED) in the country, Prof. Trinidad C. Baldo, PhD, passed away on Oct. 3. She was 83.
Known for being kind, loyal, and supportive to both students and colleagues, Baldo was author of several modules in education. She also served as consultant and resource speaker at the Department of Education (DepEd) for SPED from the 1970s to 2003.
Baldo began her career at the UP Diliman College of Education (UPD CEd) on July 1, 1971 as an instructor and later rose in academic ranking as a professor, a post she held until she retired on Sept. 26, 2003.
CEd dean Prof. Jerome T. Buenviaje, PhD, responding to an email UPDate Online sent, said Baldo was a “very good writer of published books in the elementary. She wrote the initial concept of, which some CEd faculty modified later as, ‘The Mobile Training for SPED Teachers and Administrators in the Philippines’ which we implemented for 23 years in all regions of the country, several times.”
Buenviaje continued, “We had 44 mobiles across the country. She was national coordinator from 1994 to 2004. Ratings for the mobile training were always outstanding, and Dr. Baldo was always among those who topped the evaluation. She was a very good teacher, garnering top scores in the student evaluation of teacher (SET).”
According to the CEd Office of the Dean, Baldo received numerous national awards, including the recognition of the DepEd and the National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) as one of the Three Pillars of Special Education in the Philippines in 2007.
Trained in module writing in England, two of her articles—“The disadvantage gifted: Issues and concerns” and “Towards a conceptualization of giftedness in the Philippine context” were featured in Education Quarterly.
Born on Sept. 26, 1938, Baldo is survived by her sister and brother, niece, nephews, and grandchildren.
Isidro. Photo from the Nowhere to Go but UP’s Facebook page and Gabby Yang
Former UP College of Human Kinetics (CHK) dean and baseball coach, Artemio O. Isidro, passed away on Oct. 12.
The CHK dean from May 1, 1993 to April 30, 1996, Isidro began his UP service in the early 1970s as instructor under the then Department of Physical Education. He was the UP Varsity Baseball Team (VBT) coach from 1975 until the mid-’80s.
As baseball coach, Isidro brought pride to UP when VBT made a rare 5-peat championship at the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) from season 40 (AY 1977-1978) to season 44 (AY 1981-1982). He was a constant presence in the practices and games of VBT even until his old age.
Isidro was one of the few faculty members who saw the transition of the UP College of Education Department of Physical Education to the Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (ISPEAR) in 1976, and later to CHK in 1989.
Isidro was chair of the ISPEAR Department of Dance from 1979 to 1982. He also served as ISPEAR officer-in-charge in 1979 when then ISPEAR director Aparicio Mequi was in Indonesia for special detail.
His UP service was extended beyond his retirement when he was appointed associate professor 7 from Oct. 21, 2003 to May 31, 2004. He was later appointed as professorial lecturer 2 from June 1, 2004 to May 31, 2009.
Many of his peers, students, and mentees gave tribute to Isidro in their Facebook posts, reminiscing how he helped them reach their potentials.
How can you add gold to the sunset, said Justice Holmes. Sometimes, words just aren’t enough. But even though the deepest feelings often seem unremarkable when expressed in language, there are still those precious moments when we just have to take a chance and hazard to articulate what is best said unspoken in the hope that the words will echo on long after our voices have been silenced.
Yesterday, 11 October 2021, one of those times came to pass when the sun set on one of our guiding lights, Professor Ruben Figueroa Balane… (read more by following this link: bit.ly/RememberingOurDearProfBalane)
National Scientist Dr. Ramon C. Barba has died at the age of 82.
National Scientist Ramon Barba (NAST PHL website)
This was confirmed by Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña to the Manila Bulletin on Monday, Oct. 11.
Barba died on Sunday, Oct. 10.
“I will honor him in behalf of DOST on Oct. 14 at 9 a.m. here in DOST where his cremains will be brought,” de la Peña said in a Viber message to the Manila Bulletin.
Barba was recognized for his achievement in the field of plant physiology, focusing on the induction of flowering of mango and on micropropagation of crop species.
In 2014, late President Benigno S. Aquino III conferred the Order of National Scientist to Barba and fellow academicians Angel Alcala; Gavino Trono; and Edgardo Gomez.
The award is the highest recognition to an individual who earned a doctoral degree in any field of science and has made significant contributions in one of the different fields of science and technology.
Barba’s flower induction treatment is considered as the most significant breakthrough in mango research in the country, based on his profile posted on the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL) website.
“His technology of using potassium nitrate to stimulate flowering is a milestone in the study of tropical tree physiology and is the main stimulus to the growth of the local mango industry,” it said.
“His researches on tissue culture of bananas, sugarcane, cassava, and many other horticultural crops have resulted in the development of valuable methodologies in plant physiology and plant breeding,” it added.
Barba was elected a member to the NAST PHL, the country’s highest recognition and advisory body on science and technology.
Barba got a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture at the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture (UPCA) in 1958.
From 1958 to 1960, he served as assistant instructor at UPCA’s Department of Agronomy, Fruit Crops Section.
He also earned his Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Horticulture at the University of Georgia in 1962 and a doctorate in plant physiology at the University of Hawaii with an East-West Center grant in 1964.
He completed his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Horticulture in 1967, and a year after, he returned to the Philippines.
In 1969, he was appointed as assistant professor at the UPCA, and after six years, decided to resign from his post. He was re-appointed as professor in 1981.
Barba also served as consultant for the Quimara Farms on Mango Production, and project director of CORE Foundation.
He also worked at Plantek, a biotechnology company in Singapore as its part-time director.
Among the numerous awards received by Barba were the following: The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) of the Philippines for Agriculture by the Philippine Jaycees (1974), Rizal Pro Patria Presidential Award for Tissue Culture (1980), the Most Distinguished Alumni Award, University of the Philippines (2004), and the SEARCA-Dioscoro L. Umali Achievement Award in Agricultural Development (2011).
He was born on Aug. 31, 1939 in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte to Juan Madamba Barba and Lourdes Cabanos.
Image from the UPD Institute for Small-Scale Industries Facebook page
Former UP Institute for Small-Scale Industries (ISSI) director, Paterno V. Viloria, Ph.D. passed away on Sept. 22. He was 97.
Viloria started working in ISSI in 1968 and became its third director from 1976 to 1979. During his term as ISSI director, Viloria co-founded the Small Enterprises Research and Development Foundation (SERDEF), a private company recognized as one of the pioneers of small and medium enterprise (SME) growth. IISI forged an alliance with SERDEF to undertake pilot and demonstration programs that led to responsive projects and activities for SME development. SERDEF still holds office at the UP ISSI. Viloria served as its president from 2002 until the time of his death.
After his stint at the ISSI, Viloria joined the World Bank as international consultant on small business development, which took him to consultancy engagements in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Nepal.
“PV,” as he is fondly called by his friends and colleagues, has a track record of more than 45 years in the promotion and development of SMEs, and entrepreneurship in developing countries in various fields such as SME financing, human resources development, project management, enterprise development, project appraisal and evaluation, and countryside development and appropriate technology.
From 1971-79, Viloria taught graduate courses in human behavior in organizations, interpersonal relations, business policy, entrepreneurship, and project management at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), De La Salle University, San Sebastian College, Ateneo Graduate School of Business, and at the UP Tacloban. He was also associate professor from 1965-1979 at the University of the East.
Viloria is credited for organizing the first National Convention on Manpower Training and Development in 1973 and the 1st Asian Regional Training and Development Conference in 1974. He was the first and only Filipino president of the International Federation of Training and Development Organizations (1979). He planned and organized the 8thInternational Training and Development Conference hosted by the Philippines in 1979.
Villoria was a decorated war veteran. He served in the Korean War with the 20th Battalion Combat Team, Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea from 1951 to 1952. He was in the military service from 1950 until 1968, retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He also served as president of the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea Veterans Association, Inc.
In 1989, Viloria received the US Bronze Star Medal from the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE), and in 2018, he was one of the 13 Filipino World War II veterans awarded with the US Congressional Gold Medal for his valuable support to the US Rangers in the rescue of American prisoners of war from the Cabanatuan Prison Camp. (https://pvao.gov.ph/u-s-congressional-gold-medal-awarded-to-filipino-wwii-veterans/). The congressional gold medal is the highest civilian award given by the US Congress to a person or unit for an outstanding deed or act of service to US security, prosperity, and national interest.
Viloria earned his Ph.D. in commerce from UST in 1979, his master’s in business administration from UP Diliman in 1962, and his bachelor of science degree in commerce from the Far Eastern University in 1949. He also has a diploma in international course on small-scale industries management from the Research Institute for Management, Delft, The Netherlands (1969) and a certificate in smaller industries management from the Nagoya International Training Center, Nagoya, Japan (1973).
Viloria is survived by his wife Candida, and daughters Sarah Jane and Dinah.
My dearest 95yr old Mama Anita peacefully joined our Lord God Almighty (and my Papa Andoy) this morning at 6AM, Oct 10th, in her sleep at our Lingayen home. Thank you so much Ma. You’ll live in our hearts forever!
“Perhaps, when I end my tenure as the Chairperson of the Commission
on Human Rights, and when I return to perhaps a teaching role or a
mentoring role, I am certain, I will return once more to many of these
great works of Philosophy and refresh my mind about the important things
that we must confront as a people, as humanity. And I will always
return to those important teachings.”
Such were the words of the Commission on Human Rights Chairperson and
University of the Philippine alumnus Jose Luis Martin Chito C. Gascon
in a video for freshies posted by the UP Diliman Apeiron Core Group on
September 28. The group is the official student volunteer arm of the
Department of Philosophy.
Early Saturday morning, October 9, Gascon’s brother Miguel shared a
post on Facebook which read: “Sa dami mong laban, sa COVID pa tayo
natalo.” He was 57.
Gascon graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1988. He would also later earn his Bachelor of Laws degree in UP in 1996. Furthering his studies, he would finish a Master of Laws degree at Cambridge in 1997.
In the video for freshies shared by the Apeiron Core Group, Gascon
said he found Philosophy as an essential foundational subject. It
provides, he said, “an opportunity to affirm one’s principles, as well
as the capacity to look wide and long, towards our society, to see how
there could be progress, [and] change might happen.”
An active student leader, Gascon was Chair of the UP Student Council
from 1985 to 1986. He led his fellow students in active-non-violent
protest actions, which contributed to and culminated in the People Power
Revolution and the ouster of Marcos in 1986.
Later, Gascon represented the youth as the youngest delegate to the 1986 Constitutional Convention, which prepared the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Afterward, he served as the youngest member of the 8th Congress from 1990 to 1992.
After his studies abroad, he returned to the country and served as
Undersecretary of Education from 2002 to 2005. He also worked as a
political officer for then-Senator Mar Roxas at the Senate from 2008 to
2010. He was a Board Member of the Bases Conversion and Development
Authority from 2010 to 2011. He served as Undersecretary at the Office
of the President from 2011 to 2014. Simultaneously, he was part of the
government delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the
Universal Periodic Review in 2012. After leaving Malacañang, he became a
Human Rights Victims Claims Board member from 2014 to 2015. He was
appointed Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights in 2015.
His appointment to the Commission was no surprise. Gascon spent many
years advocating for human rights, social justice, and social change.
From 1997 to 2002, he was Executive Director of the National Institute
for Policy Studies. In 2005, Gascon became the Executive Director of
Lawyers League for Liberty (LIBERTAS). This organization aids advocacy
groups in electoral reform, transparency in governance, and human
rights. In the same year, he would also receive a Democracy and
Development Fellowship from Stanford University’s Center for Democracy,
Development, and the Rule of Law. In 2007, Gascon became a Fellow at the
Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellowship of the National Endowment for
Democracy. From 2008 to 2011, he was the Director-General of the Liberal
Party.
Aside from his involvement in civil society, Gascon was active in
reconciliation efforts with insurgent groups. He was a member of the
Technical Working Group on Power Sharing with the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front, an alternate panel member in the peace talks with the
MILF. Gascon was also a member of the AdHoc High-Level Working group for
the Tripartite Review of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement with the Moro
National Liberation Front and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s
Peace Committee for Southern Philippines.
Gascon was a panel member of peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front between 2001 to 2004. From 2010-2014, he chaired the Government’s Human Rights Monitoring Committee. The Committee monitored the peace process within the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law framework.
In recent years, Gascon would face challenges as head of the
constitutional body, ensuring the promotion, protection, and
preservation of human rights enshrined in the Constitution. In an interview on Esquire Philippines in 2017,
he remained undaunted by the constant criticism of the CHR by those in
halls of power and on social media. The Commission has been very vocal
on the rise of extra-judicial killings and human rights violations.
“Right now, in a sense, I’m going back to basics. I was moved into
action by the human rights violations I saw happening during the
dictatorship. And now I have been allowed to serve the people in an
institution that is mandated to promote human rights, in a set of
circumstances that are not ideal,” he said.
He constantly faced challenges in his advocacy for human rights,
social justice, and social change for many years. And yet, he remained
optimistic, even telling the Esquire interviewer: “The revolution you
aspire for is out there on the horizon. It’s something you never give up
on.”
In a recent video shared by the Apeiron Core Group, Gascon advised the new generation of Iskolar ng Bayan to “Find your niche, be as inquisitive, and as useful as you can be. And apply what you learn to society. That’s all that we can do.”
It is with deepest sorrow that we announce the passing of Chairperson Jose Luis Martin “Chito” Gascon. He passed away early this Saturday morning, 9 October 2021, due to Covid-19 complications. He was 57.
At a time of unprecedented human rights challenges, Chair Chito
courageously and steadfastly upheld the constitutional mandate of the
Commission. Amidst the unrelenting attacks against the institution and
to him personally, he was unwavering and unflinching in fighting for the
universal values of freedom, truth, and justice that are essential in
the pursuit of human rights. He was undaunting in the fight for human
rights, rule of law, and democracy out of deep reverence to the equal
rights and dignity of all.
His leadership in the Commission has inspired and nurtured a culture
of enabling, empowering, and safe environment that move CHR personnel to
always serve with genuine compassion or Serbisyong may Malasakit,
utmost integrity, and excellence. He impressed upon the CHR personnel
and fellow human rights workers the impact and value of our work
especially to those who have it least.
CHR will continue the human rights work with equal fervor and
sincerity that Chair Chito exemplified in his work. The Commission en
banc (CeB) will continue to function with Commissioner Karen Gomez
Dumpit as the Officer-in-Charge. As a National Human Rights Institution
that embodies the principle of pluralism, the CeB comprise of
Commissioners from diverse background, advocacy, and human rights
expertise to be able to represent and give voice to the various sectors
in society.
Further announcement on the details of Chair Chito’s memorial will be
made with due consideration to the restrictions of the pandemic.
Chair Chito will be deeply missed. We ask for prayers for the eternal repose of his soul.
