Arsenio Balisacan, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary and 2023 UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus, receives a certificate and tokens of appreciation from the UP Alumni Association (UPAA), represented by Robert Lester Aranton, UPAA President and Alumni Regent, for being the resource speaker of the UP Alumni Council Meeting on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Milagros de Guzman, UPAA Assistant Secretary, and Amina Zalmira Rasul-Bernardo, UPAA Board of Directors member and Council Meeting master of ceremonies, look on. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO.
The University of the Philippines Alumni Council, the advisory body of the UP Alumni Association (UPAA), resolved to fully support Ambisyon 2040, the government’s program for long-term economic growth.
The council made the resolution during its annual meeting with the theme, “Handog sa Pamantasan, Pag-alay sa Bayan”. With resource person for the resolution, Secretary Arsenio Balisacan of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). The meeting was held at the Ang Bahay ng Alumni in UP Diliman on August 18.
Balisacan, this year’s UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus, explained Ambisyon 2040 in his UP Alumni Council Meeting lecture, “Social and Economic Transformation for Inclusive Philippine Development”. The program envisions human development as “matatag, maginhawa, at panatag”.
He emphasized that a “rapid, sustained, and inclusive growth is a necessary condition for the Philippines to become a predominantly middle-class society” by 2040. Balisacan spoke of a target annual growth rate of 6-8.5%.
Arsenio Balisacan, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary and 2023 UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus, delivers his lecture, “Social and Economic Transformation for Inclusive Philippine Development” as the resource speaker for the UP Alumni Council Meeting on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO.
While maintaining that the trick to growth is in the hands of the private sector, particularly through innovation and actively targeting bigger markets, government must raise its spending to achieve the targeted growth rates. Balisacan said government must sustain spending on infrastructure at 5-6% of GDP (gross domestic product). He said NEDA would continue monitoring and advising slow spenders in government.
Balisacan further highlighted the need for government to enhance society’s ecosystem for research and development and innovations, requiring, among others, robust partnership among government, private sector, and the academe.
The UP Alumni Council through Atty. Raul Reyes, the UPAA legal counsel and Chair of Council’s Resolution Committee, presented a draft of the resolution, which stated that the UPAA “will fully support the [NEDA’S] program for long-term economic growth called the Ambisyon 2040”.
Raul Reyes, UP Alumni Association (UPAA) Legal Counsel and UPAA Resolutions Committee Chair, presents the draft Council Resolutions to the Alumni Council body during the Council Meeting on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO.
It further resolved that the UPAA “will support and participate in the academe’s role in the government’s plan for social and economic transformation in order to raise the quality of investments vis-a-vis employment” and that it “will actively contribute to and encourage academic programs that will produce graduates who are eligible to provide efficient human capital to the government’s programs”.
The UP Alumni Council is composed of: University officials, deans and directors; past and present members of the UP Board of Regents; the current UPAA Board of Directors and the current officers of the UPAA chapters; the Distinguished Alumni Awardees; and other persons as may be designated by the UPAA Board of Directors.
It holds the annual meeting in order to draft and pass resolutions presented for endorsement to the general UPAA membership during the General Homecoming. These resolutions are then submitted to: the UP alumni in Congress and in the Senate for aid in legislation; the Board of Regents; and appropriate government and private agencies for reference in formulation of policies.
Additional photos of the Alumni Council Meeting are available below.
Milagros de Guzman, Assistant Secretary of the UP Alumni Association, delivers the invocation during the UP Alumni Council Meeting on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO.Robert Lester Aranton, UPAA President and Alumni Regent, delivers the welcome remarks during the UP Alumni Council Meeting on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPROJeanette Yasol-Naval, UP System Office of Alumni Relations Director, makes a roll call of the UP Alumni Council during their annual meeting held on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO .Herminio Bagro III, UP Alumni Association (UPAA) Secretary and UP Alumni Council Meeting Committee Chair, introduces the resource speaker for the UP Alumni Council Meeting on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO.Arsenio Balisacan, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary and 2023 UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus. delivers his lecture, “Social and Economic Transformation for Inclusive Philippine Development” as the resource speaker for the UP Alumni Council Meeting on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City; with the panelists: Herminio Bagro III, UP Alumni Association (UPAA) Secretary and UP Alumni Council Meeting Committee Chair; Robert Lester Aranton, UPAA President and Alumni Regent; Jeanette Yasol-Naval, Acting Vice President for Public Affairs and UP System Office of Alumni Relations Director; and Amina Zalmira Rasul-Bernardo, UPAA Board of Director member and 2016 UPAA Most Distinguished Alumna. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO.The UP Alumni Council led by the UP Alumni Association Board of Directors conducts the annual meeting to draft resolutions to be supported by the UP Alumni Association for forwarding to top policy bodies of the country, on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO.The UP Alumni Council members raise their fists as they sing the closing lines of “UP Naming Mahal” at the closing of the UP Alumni Council Meeting on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO.UP President Angelo Jimenez joins the UP Alumni Council for lunch during the latter’s annual meeting held this year on August 18 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO.
