Pres. Pascual said that his job as head of the University is to provide the enabling environment for initiatives–such as those being celebrated–to flourish. Photo by Misael Bacani
Five groundbreaking projects of UP System offices were celebrated during the 2nd President’s Toast on July 5 at the Bulwagan ng Dangal, University Main Library, UP Diliman.
The Office of the Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents (OSU) launched the OSU Manual of Operations, the first such coded manual of the office. While the position of University Secretary was created by Section 12 of Act No. 1870, the law that created UP in 1908, it was only recently that the OSU’s processes and procedures were outlined, detailed, written, and published in print and online.
Secretary of the University Dr. Lilian De Las Llagas headed the presentation of the manual along with Assistant Secretary Virginia Ocampo and members of the OSU staff: Carla Noroña of the Communications and Docutrak Section; Rosalinda Navaja of the President’s Advisory Council/UP Gazette Secretariat Section; Mary Espejo of the Administrative Section; Jovita Fucio of the Board of Regents Secretariat Section; and Anna Marie Demeterio, Glenn Bilbao, and Karisha Cruz of the Records and Web Management Section.
Dr. Co presents the “National Marine Policy Review and Strategic Direction” to Undersecretary and NCWC Executive Director Jose Luis Alano. Photo by Misael Bacani
Center for Integrative and Development Studies (CIDS) Executive Director Edna Co then presented the National Marine Policy Review and Strategic Direction, the result of a study conducted by the CIDS for the Office of the President of the Philippines. It received support from the Office of the Executive Secretary and the National Coast Watch Council (NCWC).
Undersecretary and NCWC Executive Director Jose Luis Alano was on hand to formally accept a copy of the study, which reviewed the country’s National Marine Policy. Although the Policy was crafted in 1994, no national plan of implementation was ever carried out. The work of CIDS, apart from policy review, included recommendations for strategic direction setting and implementation.
The remaining three initiatives were by the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs (OVPPA). VPPA J. Prospero de Vera III reported on the UP sa Halalan 2016 project—a follow-up to the initial effort, UP sa Halalan 2013.
The UP sa Halalan project sought to promote clean, honest, and empowering elections through online information dissemination and activities, such as debates, lectures, and fora. When it was launched prior to the 2013 midyear elections, UP became the first university in the country to create a website dedicated to election information, which included fact checking of candidates’ claims, and expert opinions and analyses of issues. UP partnered with multiple media organizations for the 2016 initiative; around 200 broadcast appearances by University experts were noted.
The UP Resources for Science-Informed Literacy and Engagement towards Building Community Resilience (RESILIENCE), which was launched in April of this year, was also presented by de Vera. It is an online hub that facilitates the dissemination and utilization of the University’s knowledge and expertise on climate change and disaster risk reduction and management. A product of UP’s partnership with the Climate Change Commission, it receives support from Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit or GIZ, a German organization focused on sustainable development.
The last project presented was the Galing UP, Lingkod Bayan: UP Award for Excellence in Public Service, which will recognize outstanding projects from across the UP System. One initiative will be chosen from each of the five clusters:Arts and Letters, and Communications; Science and Technology; Social Sciences, Management, and Law; Health and Allied Sciences; and, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishery, and Natural Resource Management. De Vera announced that the nomination period is until August 15 and the winners will be awarded on December 5 of this year, the UN International Volunteers Day.
UP President Pascual noted that all of the celebrated projects were team efforts. This showed that the success of any activity lay in working together and with each other, he said. He concluded that the greatest reward of any undertaking in the University “is to see the impact of what we do.”
For more photos of the event, please click through the album below.
