Diwata ng Dagat (Goddess of the Sea), a 16-foot sculpture by National Artist Napoleon V. Abueva, stands tall and strong across the old Administration building of the Miagao campus. Diwata ng Dagat is a fitting depiction of UP Visayas’ commitment to its role as national center of excellence in marine science, fisheries and aquaculture.
Named after Tomas Fonacier, founding dean of U.P. Iloilo, Fonacier Hall houses the College of Arts and Sciences. Right beside it is a park where the cawing and chirping of the Philippine tailorbird, coucal, collared dove, and fantail, the olive-backed sunbird, collared kingfisher, zebra dove, and hooded pitta compete with the conversations of org mates and people who enjoy being immersed in greenery.
Students of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences have been known to point to the Panay Gulf with pride and tell their relatives and friends, “That’s our laboratory.”
Miagao is the main campus of UP Visayas. Aside from Tacloban, Miagao is the only seaside campus of the UP System.