From Left: Jay C. Amorato (UPS-OAR staff), Rica D. Abad (AVP for Public Affairs and Director for UPS – Office of Alumni Relations), Paul Marvin T. Quizon (President for UP Pharmacy Alumni Foundation, Inc.) and Nelson E. Carandang (UPS-OAR staff).
AVP for Public Affairs and Director for Alumni Relations Rica D. Abad turned over the original UP Pharmacy Alumni Association plaque to Mr. Paul Quizon, President of the UP Pharmacy Alumni Foundation, Inc. who visited the Office of Alumni Relations on November 05, 2019. Mr. Quizon has served as the President of the UP Pharmacy Alumni Association.
The UP Pharmacy
Alumni Foundation, Inc. was incorporated in 2011 to provide support in projects
and activities of the University and the UP College of Pharmacy.
In this photo: Headed by Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia and AVP for Public Affairs and Director for Alumni Relations Rica D. Abad, the UPS-OAR convened OAR Directors, University Registrars and UP High School Principals for the annual Alumni Relations Committee (ARC) Convention on November 07-08, 2019 at the F. Benitez Hall Alumni Center, UP Diliman. AVP for Public Affairs and Immediate former OAR Director Wendell Capili and UPS-DPO Atty Gabby Fernandez were also invited as guest speakers for the activity.
The UP System – Office of Alumni Relations (UPS-OAR) organized the Alumni Relations Committee (ARC) Convention on November 07-08, 2019 at the F. Benitez Hall Alumni Center, UP Diliman. The 2-day convention resolved database issues and concerns; and established a long-lasting partnership between OAR and Registrar Offices in seamlessly providing and exchanging information of UP alumni. Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia chaired the standing committee, with Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs and Director for Alumni Relations Rica D. Abad as Vice Chair.
The ARC Convention was attended by the Directors from OAR, University Registrars, Principals from UPIS, UPHS Cebu, UPHS Iloilo, UPHS Los Baños, UP Computer Center for CRS, and UP Information Technology Development Center (ITDC) for SAIS.
UPAA San Francisco represented the US-based Filipino Diaspora in advocating for Community Resilience and Safer Shelters in the Philippines during the recent Stakeholders
Workshop on Safe Shelters and Diaspora Engagement that was organized in
partnership with the UN Migration Agency, International Organization on
Migration (IOM) on November 14-15, 2019 at the I’M Hotel in Makati. In
photo, from left: Gabrielito Moraleda (UPAA San
Francisco), AVP Rica D. Abad (Director, UP System Office of Alumni
Relations), Michelle Rose Villariez (National Training Officer-
Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit, IOM), Gil Ongchangco (UPAA San
Francisco), Dr. Elena E. Pernia (Vice President for Public Affairs,
University of the Philippines).
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Hack4Rice Champions: Team Pilapil: Allison Gacad, Maria Beatriz Marasigan, Kristel Diane Artificio, with the event organizers: Marko Kärkkäinen, Jack Lagare (from left to right)
Manila, Philippines – The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), hosted a hackathon last August 30 to September 1 called Hack4Rice. The main focus of this is to research on rice within the country. Located at the IRRI Headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna, the theme for this year’s Hack4Rice is “Advancing Rice Research Through Tech and Innovation,” aiming to bring people with diverse backgrounds together and nurture a community of collaboration and innovation.
Participants had the opportunity to interact with IRRI staff involved in rice research and operations, external partners, and so much more who can provide valuable insights and have a thorough knowledge about the pain points that the hackathon hopes to help alleviate. With the exception of those from outside the Philippines joining remotely, participants got to experience the idyllic scenery of Los Baños, wonderful food, and the peace and quiet an escape from the urban jungles brings.
Through Hack4Rice 2019, the opportunity to expand their reach became available as the participants got to interact with people coming from different fields. As the hackathon aimed to provide the participants with as near a glimpse of the world of rice research, there are a lot of opportunities to ensure impact through what you build.
Team Pilapil, who are Allison Gacad, Maria Beatriz Marasigan, Kristel Diane Artificio (from left to right), are students and graduates from the University of British Columbia, UP Manila, and UP Los Baños, respectively. The team landed in second place with a mobile app which serves as a career guide to high school students who’s about to enter college. It includes potential careers, universities, scholarships, and majors related to agriculture. It also has a personality quiz which will analyze the results to give a recommendation of a career that you will possibly fit in.
The other teams that participated were Team Blu, who won 1st-Place, and Team Croppynet that bagged 3rd-Place. A special award was also given to Team Humaygosh, with an artificial intelligence platform where crop breeders can upload their data, use developed tools to easily visualize their data, run machine learning algorithms, and collaborate with different domain experts to solve challenging problems in the field.
“Agriculture is a commonly overlooked field, but it no longer has to be with Pilapil. Students who wish to take up agriculture for college will now be more informed on what steps to take next in order to pursue a career in the industry,” said Sofia Galve, a co-founder of Ambidextr.
Hack4Rice a great opportunity to develop collaboration not only between teammates but with other participants and stakeholders thereby nurturing an environment for empowerment.
ABOUT IRRI
The International Rice Research Institute is dedicated to abolishing poverty and hunger among people and populations that depend on rice-based agri-food systems. Through our work and partnerships, we aim to improve the health and welfare of rice farmers and consumers; promote environmental sustainability in a world challenged by climate change; and support the empowerment of women and the youth in the rice industry.
The Professional Regulation Commission has released the August 2019 Pharmacist board exam results as PRC announced that 3,097 out of 4,455 passed the Pharmacist Licensure Examination given by the Board of Pharmacy in the cities of Manila, Baguio, Cagayan De Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Tuguegarao and Zamboanga this August 2019.
1st place – Janelle Samantha Que See, University of The Philippines- Manila 92.58% 3rd place – Jemimah Gyra Celedonio Escote, University of The Philippines- Manila 90.90% 10th place – Zadkiel Flores Velasquez, University of The Philippines- Manila 90.10%
Break the Fake 1st-Place Winners, Carlos Nazareno, Dominic Ligot, Nikko Torcita (front center, left to right) with the judges, event organizers and sponsors
Manila, Philippines – Five or so years ago, “fake news” was a term that no one used. Today, it’s no longer just a term, but a phenomenon, recognized as an urgent global problem and a threat to human life by world leaders and institutions.
The rise of social media as the main source of news and information by most has made it easier for malicious figures and groups to spread false content, especially in tech-savvy Southeast Asia.
This led a group of independent youth leaders and professionals in Manila, Philippines to start the “Break the Fake Movement”, an organization that aims to engage the public, especially the youth, through technology-driven media literacy events to combat fake news.
“Fake news is one of the most pressing issues facing the world today. It will take the ingenuity of our youth, combined with the power of technology, to put an end to this trend. We wanted to give them a forum to realize their solutions and mobilize them into action,” said Gabriel Billones Jr, the Lead Organizer of Break the Fake Movement.
For this year, the organization launched the “Break the Fake Hackathon”, a three-city event that challenges programmers and developers to create systems that will help institutions battle disinformation.
Filipino students and professionals had the chance to join the competition and showcase their talents last August 17 at American Corner Manila in De La Salle University Manila, where the top three winning teams had the chance to go home with P10,000, P5,000, and P5,000 respectively. More information on the mechanics of the event may be found here.
Each team only had 5 minutes to pitch their creation, and had 3 minutes to answer the judges’ questions.
This year’s 1st-place winners are Carlos Nazareno, Dominic Ligot, Nikko Torcita (left to right) from Team Troglodyte, who are graduates from Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University Manila, and University of the Philippines Diliman respectively. They were able to create a network graph to track purveyors of disinformation by mapping out the relationships of fake news websites with each other. The team also brought their prototype that they showed the judges during their pitch.
“The network graph proposed by Team Troglodyte is truly innovative. By mapping out the web of fake news sites – which have figurative and literal links to one another – we can also begin to separate these sources from legitimate outlets and publications. Separating the two will undoubtedly lift the quality of public discourse,” said Sofia Galve, a co-founder of Ambidextr, one of the partners for Break The Fake.
The other winners, Team Git Stash and Team GigaMike, won 2nd and 3rd-place respectively. Team Git Stash created a web browser extension that bridged the gap between users and fact-checking organizations, while Team GigaMike created an app that gives bloggers a badge that detects fake news.
Technology for Social Good
The event first made its stop in Jakarta, Indonesia in June and held the second outing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in July. The Manila leg is the last stop of the event. Participants are encouraged to develop a multitude of possible solutions for fake news, including everything from an online database of fake news sites and an anti-fake news content portal to more niche solutions, like an app that identifies whether an applicant’s credentials are true or a mapping tool that maps traffic sources of a social sentiment in an online platform.
Devcon, an organization dedicated to professionalizing Filipino IT professionals, is partnered with Break the Fake for the hackathon.
“Many people associate innovation with just websites and apps. But technology is so much more than that. Just as the previous generation of innovators has worked to keep our data, privacy, and identify safe from cyber criminals, the next will be tasked with ensuring the integrity of our news and information. We’re proud to encourage solutions in this endeavor,” said Devcon founder and president Winston Damarillo, who is a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Amihan Global Strategies.
The winning teams from each of the three cities will then compete in the Grand Hackathon that will be held on the second week of September in Manila, Philippines, where they will have the chance to win Php100,000 worth of prizes.
The winners will also be given opportunities to pitch their programs to potential investors, visit the country offices of some of the region’s biggest companies, and get mentorship from local entrepreneurs and professionals, and consultancy from marketing and events management company, Ambidextr.
The Hackathon was made possible through the generous grant awarded by the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Seeds for the Future program of the US government, in cooperation with Cultural Vistas. Launched in 2013, YSEALI is the signature program of the United States to strengthen youth leadership in the region.
The “Break the Fake Hackathon” was among the 21 winners of the small grants competition, where they received grants ranging from $4,000 to $15,000. The winners emerged as most deserving from the 400 applications the organization received in Southeast Asia.
For more information and updates, check the organization’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/breakthefakeph.
The UP Law Debate and Moot Court Union proudly congratulates its contingent to the 2019 Asia Cup for taking home this year’s championship trophy! This is the 5th time that UP Law has emerged on top of the competition since its inauguration in 1999.
Leslie Diane Torres was awarded Best Applicant Oralist, while Marianne Angeli Estioco and Abelardo Hernandez finished as 2nd and 3rd Best Respondent Oralists, respectively. The team likewise bagged the 3rd Best Memorial award.
This year’s Asia Cup was held from August 6-7, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan, and had a record high participation of 72 teams from 17 different jurisdictions.
Prof. Rommel Casis mentored the team as faculty adviser. The contingent was composed of Team Captain Marianne Angeli Estioco (IV-D), Abelardo Hernandez (IV-E), Anton Miguel Sison (IV-E), and Leslie Diane Torres (IV-D).
Prof. Jose Y. Dalisay Jr., PhD, former vice president for public affairs, was appointed as professor emeritus by the UP Board of Regents (BOR) at its 1344th meeting on Apr. 29.
Dalisay
Dalisay retired as a Professor of English and Creative Writing at the
University of the Philippines, where he also chaired the English
department and served as Director of the UP Institute of Creative
Writing and Vice President for Public Affairs.
Dalisay published more than 30 books of fiction and nonfiction; his
second novel, “Soledad’s Sister,” was shortlisted for the inaugural Man
Asian Literary Prize in 2007. He is a Palanca Hall of Fame, TOYM, and
CCP Centennial Honors List awardee, and the Jose Y. Dalisay Jr.
Professorial Chair in Creative Writing has been endowed in his name.
According to the “UP Diliman Faculty Manual,”
professor emeritus, a title for life, is conferred upon retired faculty
members in recognition of their exceptional achievement and exemplary
service to the University. They remain in the faculty roster, giving
current students, junior faculty members and researchers the chance to
be mentored by these esteemed teachers and scholars.
Benefits for professors emeriti include a 1-time monetary award of P150,000, lifetime library privileges, UP Health Service privileges and free admission to cultural shows in UP, among others. Those who conduct researches and creative works are given P250,000 annually net of tax. —Haidee C. Pineda
The U.P. Alumni Association (UPAA) is reminding all U.P. alumni and UPAA chapters that there will be no extension of the April 1, 2019, deadline for the submission of nominations for the 2019 UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards.
Nominations may be made by any U.P. alumnus or alumni chapter for any or all of the following five (5) categories:
Most Distinguished Alumna/Alumnus Award
UPAA Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Awards
UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards
UPAA Distinguished Service Awards
UPAA Multi-Generation U.P. Alumni Family Awards
Nominations must be received by the UPAA, or postmarked, not later than 5:00 p.m. of
