UP Sustainability Report 2020-2021

University of the Philippines
Sustainability Report AY 2020-2021

Table of Contents
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Message from the President
About the University of the Philippines
UP at a glance
UP Quality Policy
Green UP: A UP System Action Plan for Environmental Sustainability
Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being
O UP’s pandemic response initiatives
O Expanding the PGH to serve more Filipinos
O UPLB UHS is an HIV testing center
O UP programs for mental and psychosocial well-being
O A Smoke-free University
Sustainable Development Goal 4:Quality Education
O UP Champions Vocational and Continuing Education
O Amid the Pandemic, UP’s Educational Outreach Efforts Prosper
O UP Policies Promoting Lifelong Learning
O UP Promotes Lifelong Learning for All
O Webinars and Online Events Boost UP’s Public Service Initiatives
Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality
O UP offers safety for all LGBTQIA+
O First Sexual Health Clinic in the Philippines Launched
O UP Anti-Sexual Harassment Code
O Women in underrepresented subjects
O Caring, from cradle to cane
O UP enhances hospitalization benefits for employees
O Maternity and Paternity Policies
Sustainable Development Goal 11:Sustainable Cities and Communities
O Keeping it Green
O UP’s Cultural Heritage Stewardship
O UP’s Natural Heritage Stewardship
Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action
O Climate Action
O UP launches Resilience Institute
O Enabling communities
O Resource materials for DRRM
O Climate knowledge for the world
Sustainable Development Goal 17:Partnership fo Goals
O UP Baguio shares research andtraining expertise to aid
Benguet’spandemic recovery plans
O The promise of better care for patients with rare diseases
O Pursuing research that transforms lives
O Optimizing health information key to universal health coverage
O Online conferences give a global platform for SDG discourse
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Message from the President
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When world leaders ratified the
United Nations (UN) Millennium
Declaration in 2000, six fundamental
values were identified as essential to
international relations (i.e., freedom,
equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for
nature, and shared responsibility) and
eight Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) were set for realizing these
values worldwide by 2015.
Building upon the eight MDGs, the
UN General Assembly adopted 2015
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, which set an even more
ambitious 17 Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) for countries to achieve
over the next 15 years. The 2030
Agenda is based on the principle of
“leaving no one behind” and takes a
holistic approach by addressing the
social, economic, and environmental
dimensions of sustainable development
and aspects such as peace, justice, and
effective institutions.
From 2000 to 2015, the role of
universities had been, by and large, that
of an observer. University researchers,
including those in UP, extensively studied
the MDGs concerning international
development, producing data and
analysis that helped track the country’s
progress in achieving the MDGs and
measured the impact of various sectors
on the MDGs experience.
But under the UN 2030 Agenda, the higher education sector
became a core partner in fulfilling the UN SDGs. The UN also
called on universities to play a key role in fulfilling the 2030
Agenda in three major ways: to expand human capital with
an SDG perspective; to research to help better understand
the costs and implications of implementing the SDGs, and
to implement the 2030 agenda by becoming actors in multistakeholder
partnerships.
This shift in the role of universities is reflected in the world
university league tables and rankings. In 2019, the Time Higher
Education launched its University Impact Rankings, which
measured their “success in delivering the UN’s Sustainable
Development Goals”. And in October 2022, Quacquarelli
Symonds published their QS World University Rankings:
Sustainable Development Goals, with a methodology aimed
“to give a sense of the relative productivity of research into
SDGs at institutions.”
The University of the Philippines welcomes this new global
recognition of the role of universities as drivers of sustainable
development and the challenges involved in fulfilling this role.
For UP, the challenge lies not so much in contributing toward
meeting targets under the SDGs. For over a hundred years,
UP has produced the country’s top leaders and policymakers,
scientists and innovators, social scientists, industry and
community leaders, academics, and media and cultural icons—
all of whom have contributed toward developing the country’s
economy, agriculture and industry sectors, public governance,
education, and cultural systems, and international relations.
Our research has long since been directed toward analyzing
and generating solutions to public issues, from preserving
and promoting indigenous studies as a knowledge resource
for sustainability in UP Baguio to health and medical science
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in UP Manila to sustainable agriculture and environmental
management in UPLB and sustainable fisheries and aquaculture
in UP Visayas, to sustainable industries and communities, clean
water, affordable energy, gender equality, accessible quality
education, disaster response and climate change resilience,
stronger institutions, and many more in UP Diliman, UP Cebu,
UP Mindanao, and the UP Open University. The same can be
said about our project collaborations with national and local
governments and other sectors, even our student organizations
have long since been active in advocating for social justice and
equality.
We do this following UP’s mandate to perform its unique and
distinctive leadership in higher education and development and
to harness the expertise of our academic community to support
the quest for national development. We do this because we
are Iskolar ng Bayan (the Scholars of the Nation), committed to
serving the Filipino nation and humanity—just as we have done
long before the signing of the UN 2030 Agenda.
Indeed, the challenge for us at UP lies in documenting and
classifying all of what we do. We are creating a database to
collect and collate all the academic programs, research, and
public service initiatives of each UP constituent University
that align with the SDGs. This task is massive, given the many
contributions of each UP CU across the System.
Hence, I believe this report is a step in the right direction.
Not only because our students, faculty, researchers, staff, and
academic units deserve to have their efforts recognized and
appreciated. Just as importantly, we in UP must continually seek
to improve, and as management theorist Peter Drucker once
said: “What gets measured gets improved.”
Mabuhay ang UP! Long live the University of the Philippines!
Danilo L. Concepcion
UP President
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About the University of the Philippines
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The University of the Philippines
(UP) is the country’s national
university. Established on June 18, 1908
as a campus in downtown Manila by
the American colonial government to
provide studies in medicine, law, and
engineering, its first president, Murray
Simon Bartlett, envisioned it to be a
University for Filipinos.
Over its 114-year history, UP has grown
into a system composed of eight
constituent universities and 17 campuses
throughout the Philippines. It offers 563
undergraduate and graduate programs,
of which 234 are in the sciences and
engineering, 32 in agriculture and
fisheries, and 96 in the social sciences.
It also offers 91 programs in the arts and
letters, 80 programs in management,
and 28 programs in education.
In 2020, the Philippine Commission
on Higher Education (CHED) declared
41 academic units of the University as
Centers of Excellence (COE), while
five units were declared as Centers of
Development (COD).
Mandated by Republic Act 8500
to provide distinctive leadership in
education, research, and public service,
UP continues to pursue groundbreaking
research in medicine, engineering,
agriculture, fisheries, and disaster risk
reduction and management. It also
inspires its artists to pursue works that
elevate human consciousness.
UP Diliman
UP Diliman in Quezon City hosts most
of the programs of the University. Its
sprawling campus, which features a
lagoon and an open field, has fueled
the creativity of faculty and students in
its creative programs.
Its National Science Complex hosts
several units and institutes that have
produced unique and innovative
research and studies that contribute to
the advancement of several scientific
and technological fields. Among these
is the UP Philippine Genome Center
(UP PGC). Instrumental in detecting
COVID-19 in the Philippines, the UP
PGC was also involved in developing a
local COVID-19 testing kit.
Aside from the creative and scientific units
of the University, UP Diliman also houses
the Resilience Institute (UPRI) and its
disaster risk reduction and management
program, UP NOAH (Nationwide
Operational Assessment of Hazards).
Partnering with communities, UPRI has
conducted training that prepares these
areas for possible disasters.
Beyond the sciences and the arts, UP
Diliman is also home to the UP Center
for Women’s and Gender Studies (UP
CWGS), a pioneering research and
advocacy institution in the country to
advance women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights
and empowerment.
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About the University of the Philippines
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UP Los Baños
Further south in the province of Laguna
is UP Los Baños (UPLB). A recognized
leader in agriculture, forestry, and
environmental management studies,
UPLB is situated at the foot of Mt.
Makiling. It hosts the National Institute
of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
(UPLB BIOTECH), which has continuously
pursued agricultural, environmental and
health biotechnology research, resulting
in alternative technologies and products
proven useful to farmers.
UPLB’s experts also actively pursue
biodiversity studies, resulting in
discoveries of then unknown species,
several specimens of which are housed
in the UPLB Museum of Natural History
(UPLB MNH).
UP Manila
In the country’s capital is the nation’s
leader in health sciences studies, UP
Manila. Home to the National Institutes
of Health (UP NIH), its experts tirelessly
conduct research that has resulted in
innovations in public health, emergency
response, and medicine.
Hosting the UP Philippine General
Hospital (UP PGH), the Philippines’
largest tertiary government hospital,
the campus provides medical care to
Filipinos from all walks of life. At the
height of the COVID-19 pandemic, UP
PGH served as a COVID-19 referral
center, exerting its utmost to save lives.
UP Manila is also home to the
College of Nursing, the World Health
Organization’s Regional Collaborating
Center in Nursing Development. At
the same time, its College of Public
Health is the Southeast Asian Ministers
of Education Organization (SEAMEO)
Regional Network in Tropical Medicine
and Public Health Regional Center for
Public Health.
UP Visayas
Spread across three campuses in islands
across central Philippines is UP Visayas.
An acknowledged authority in fisheries,
aquaculture, and marine science
education and research, it is home to
several units which conduct studies
important to the archipelagic nature of
the Philippines and its fisheries industry.
These are the: Brackishwater Aquaculture
Center, Freshwater Aquaculture Station,
Batan Mariculture Station, and Marine
Biological Station.
Aside from marine research, UP Visayas
is also active in efforts to preserve and
enrich the Visayan cultural heritage.
Recently, UP Visayas inaugurated the
UP Philippine Genome Center-Visayas,
allowing for the training of locals in the
collection of specimens of COVID-19,
as well as the conduct of testing in the
region.
UP Open University
Situated near UPLB in Los Baños,
Laguna, is UP Open University, the
country’s pioneering virtual university.
UPOU provides quality distance
education to students both in the
Philippines and abroad who cannot
attend the conventional in-person
classroom setting due to personal and/
or professional reasons. At the height of
the COVID-19 pandemic, the UP Open
University shared much of its experience
in conducting virtual classes with other
UP units and educational institutions.
The UP Open University has ten learning
centers nationwide, as well as a virtual
learning center, to address the concerns
of its students both in the Philippines
and abroad.
UP Mindanao
Manifesting the University’s presence
in the country’s second largest island,
UP Mindanao was established by law to
provide equitable access to quality UP
education. The campus offers programs
in the humanities and sciences. It is also
notable for its architecture, food science,
the humanities and social, natural, and
computing sciences programs. With
new sports science, medicine, and
engineering programs, it is envisioned
to accommodate more locals who will
become regional leaders.
Recently, UP Mindanao has also become
the home of the UP Philippine Genome
Center-Mindanao, contributing to the
fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in
Southern Philippines.
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UP Baguio
Nestled in the Cordillera Region north
of Manila, UP Baguio is a leading
institution in science, mathematics,
social sciences, and the humanities.
Through its Cordillera Studies Center,
the constituent unit pursues studies of the
region’s indigenous communities and
those in the farther north of Luzon and
Cagayan Valley. These studies, hosted
in the campus’s Museo Kordilyera,
contribute to the preservation and
appreciation of the cultural traditions
and heritage of the indigenous peoples
of Northern Philippines.
UP Cebu
Formerly one of the UP Visayas
campuses, UP Cebu is the youngest
constituent university of the UP System,
having been elevated to that status in
2016. It was created on May 3, 1918,
just ten years after the founding of UP
in 1908. UP Cebu’s two campuses are
located in progressively urban areas.
Located in a region that is aggressively
asserting itself as an area for direct and
foreign investments, UP Cebu geared
its academic programs to prepare its
students for the professions in the area.
These include courses in communication
and design, computer science, statistics,
education, and management. Many UP
Cebu graduates become key figures in
creative professions and industries in the
region and across the nation.
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UP at a Glance
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Total
Faculty
6,233
3,957 (64%) Full-time Faculty
2,276 (36%)Part-time Faculty
Total
Students
54,362
31,642 (58%) Female
22,720 (42%) Male
Total
Administrative Staff
54,362
4,580 (52%) Female 4,187
(48%) Male
Total
Research,
Extension and
Professional Staff
1,469
1,002 (68%) Female 467
(32%) Male
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UP
Campuses
8 Constituent Universities
17 Campuses
5 Future Campuses
2,629.9202 hectares Campus Sites
4,980.39 hectares Research Areas
Total
UP Landholdings
26,315.4632
hectares
2,705.78 hectares Mangrove Areas
9,093.44 hectares Land Grants
6,900.00 hectares Under UP Stewardship
5.93 hectares Other Properties
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UP Quality Policy
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The University of the Philippines commits to meeting
standards of academic excellence as guided by the UP
Charter and defined within the changing context of national,
regional, and global developments that profoundly impact
universities worldwide.
UP is committed to creating and sustaining a quality culture in
all its programs and constituent units supported by a quality
management system of global standards to fulfill its vision,
mission, and mandate.
With this system, UP shall:
O Produce graduates who will lead in the
advancement of knowledge, contribute to national
development, and thrive in a changing global
landscape;
O Undertake research and creative work to
contribute to the pursuit, creation, and translation
of knowledge into innovative solutions to national
and global problems and challenges;
O
O
O
O
Spearhead public service work that brings about
meaningful change in the community and the
country;
Create an environment that supports the holistic
development of its students, faculty, research
and extension personnel, professional staff,
administrative staff, and other stakeholders;
Deliver stakeholder-driven support services and
adhere to the applicable statutory and regulatory
requirements;
Align our policies on research and innovation,
activities in teaching and learning, and outreach
engagements with the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).
As a guide to the continuous improvement of the University’s
performance in carrying out its mandate, the UP Quality Policy
shall be communicated to all stakeholders.
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Green UP
A UP System Action Plan
for Environmental Sustainability
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The University of the Philippines’
eight (8) constituent universities
(CU) span 17 geographically disparate
and ecologically unique campuses.
These campuses are socio-ecological
systems in which education, research,
and service are enabled by the
environments in which human activities
take place. These campuses are also
situated within the broader socioecological
system battered today by
climate change, environmental pollution,
and the vast range of human impacts on
the environment.
As the premiere national university,
the University must lead in building,
nurturing, and embodying sustainability
practices that enhance and revitalize
the environment, reduce environmental
impact, and promote eco-education and
sustainable development. It must gear
efforts toward developing sustainable
habits for optimized environmental
utilization in its students, faculty, staff,
and community.
The University wholly commits to
environmental sustainability as guided by
principles of human rights, democratic
participation, non-discrimination,
gender equity, social justice, and
ecological balance.
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These shall be upheld in the following areas for/of action.
1. Green Spaces and Biodiversity. The University
shall protect and promote green spaces and campus
biodiversity. It shall adopt low-impact development
and management plans, with the goal of improving or
incurring no net biodiversity loss. This involves developing
an environmental management protocol that monitors the
health of the campus environment, promotes green spaces
and biodiversity, documents and studies campus flora and
fauna, and exercises proper campus animal management.
2. Built Environment. Sustainable design should be
incorporated into the University’s built environments to
reduce its carbon footprint. Green technologies must be
used whenever possible, and eco-friendly materials and
methods integrated in construction and development
plans.
3. Utilities Management. The University shall regularly
monitor the environmental impact of its energy usage
and set reasonable targets to reduce energy and water
consumption. In utilities management, it shall promote
energy and water conservation, periodically monitor
consumption, and shift to sustainable technologies and
materials in utilities upgrading or augmentation.
4. Transportation and Mobility. The University shall ensure
the availability of a reliable network of transportation and
road infrastructure, whose construction and maintenance
are integrated with natural ecosystems. To maintain good
air quality and well-protected ecosystems, these efforts
include promoting non-motorized transport and enhancing
pedestrian movement; ensuring compliance of public-use
vehicles to emission standards; and adoption of the use of
environment-friendly vehicles.
5. Waste Management. The University’s waste management
program shall adopt the UN Environmental Programme’s
waste management hierarchy: prevention, reduction,
recycling, recovery and disposal, in decreasing order of
importance. It shall enable individuals to embrace and
realistically adopt a low- to zero-waste lifestyle by providing
scientific information and support services for correct
waste disposal practices.
Contingent to this, the University shall proactively reduce
use of plastics and shall develop policy guidelines
to transition into plastic-free campuses, feasibly and
equitably. The transition must be guided by a democratic
and participatory process that addresses the economic
and sociocultural dimensions of rampant plastics use.
6. Research. The University shall proactively encourage and
support research and development relating to environmental
sustainability and its multiple facets, whether ecological,
social, cultural, behavioral, economic, moral, or political.
It shall enable cross- and interdisciplinary approaches
to address environmental concerns in the campus and
the nation, and shall strengthen support, financial or
otherwise, for sustainability research, programs, projects,
and initiatives.
7. Education. The University shall integrate principles of
environmental sustainability in teaching and learning
through its General Education program and different
academic curricula. Such would facilitate cultural and
behavioral changes toward sustainable living in students
and faculty.
8. Extension Services. The University shall encourage
extension services and programs that promote and
mainstream environmental sustainability principles to
stakeholders and communities outside of the University.
9. Personnel Management. The University shall establish
and activate appropriate offices or standing committees
toward concrete, strategic sustainability goals. This
includes building capacity of staff and personnel through
relevant trainings and certificate programs,
10. Mainstreaming. The University shall adopt the month
of April as UP’s Environmental Sustainability Month and
facilitate inter-CU and inter-university collaborations toward
the goals articulated in this Manifesto. This month shall turn
the community’s attention to environmental sustainability
projects and campaigns and engage students, faculty and
staff in environmental sustainability initiatives.
“Green UP” is articulated here as both imperative and vision.
Through the unified efforts of all constituent units, UP shall
become a model of human rights-based, participatory, and
inclusive environmental sustainability.
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Sustainable Development Goal 3
Good Health and Well-being
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UP’s pandemic response initiatives
The University of the Philippines’ vital contributions to the
country’s overall COVID-19 pandemic response since 2020
is shaping the “new normal.” Its partnerships with local
government units, national government agencies, and global
institutions to address the challenges during the pandemic are
most notable in the swift and efficient mobilization of systemwide
and constituent university-wide pandemic response teams
and initiatives.
The UP Manila (UPM), the University’s Health Sciences Center
and home of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and the
National Institutes of Health (NIH), is showing the way forward
with its health personnel, scientists and leaders serving as
frontliners, educators, and policymakers.
Designated in March 2020 by the Department of Health (DOH)
as one of the government’s three COVID-19 referral centers
in the National Capital Region, UP-PGH also launched its
24/7 teleconsultation and referral service called “Bayanihan
Na! COVID-19 Operations Center.” With the help of the
private sector, UP-PGH converted six sections of the hospital
into COVID-19 wards and hotels nearby provided food and
comfortable accommodation for the overburdened health
frontliners.
Since March 2020, the NIH, with the DOH and the Research
Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), has been training
frontliners in laboratories across the nation on biosafety and
molecular biology techniques in RT-PCR testing.
Collaborative efforts by the various UP constituent universities
to produce additional personal protective equipment (PPE)
and alcohol-based sanitizers for the COVID-19 frontliners were
also notable, such as those done by colleges in UP Diliman, UP
Visayas, UP Tacloban, UP Cebu, and UP Baguio.
Philippine Genome Center (PGC) initiatives for
training, research and testing
The Philippine Genome Center (PGC), a genomics-focused
multidisciplinary research unit of the University of the Philippines
(System) and based in UP Diliman, together with the UPM-NIH
and Manila HealthTek, Inc., and funded by the Department of
Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research
and Development (DOST-PCHRD), produced the country’s own
COVID-19 testing kit. The PGC’s DNA Sequencing Laboratory
made it possible for UP experts to use the genome sequence
of COVID-19 in developing the kit, which was approved by the
Food and Drug Administration. The PGC clinical laboratory
processed up to 600 to 800 samples and ran on a 24-hour
operation for COVID-19 bio-surveillance and research, elective
swabbing services, and community mass screening. The PGC
has been at the forefront of the country’s efforts in genomics
research and testing since its creation in 2009.
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Vaccination hubs
The UP vaccination centers or
“Bakunahan” in UP Diliman (UPD) and
UP Los Banos (UPLB) were high-impact
initiatives that mobilized regular and
volunteer staff, health professionals,
and community members to inoculate
thousands of Filipinos against COVID-19.
In partnership with the Quezon City local
government, the UPD hub administered
a total of 37,072 COVID-19 vaccine
doses, including the booster shots,
from its opening in April 2021 until
December 2021. Meanwhile at UPLB,
which received a commendation from
the Commission on Higher Education
(CHED) for its COVID-19 vaccination
program, a total of 47,945 vaccine
doses were administered to the residents
of Los Baños and nearby communities.
Before the end of 2021, Los Baños was
able to inoculate 100 percent of its target
population.
Fit for the future
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted
the need for health care professionals
and leaders to develop the tools to face
the challenges of a health scenario like
the one the scarred the global community
the past couple of years.
UPM’s College of Nursing, in partnership
with the Peking Union Medical College-
School of Nursing, has offered an online
course through a series of webinars
to develop global nursing leaders in
the WHO Western Pacific Region. A
six-week online course on “fit for the
future” trains global nursing leaders
to face the challenges and changing
health landscape due to the COVID-19
pandemic, and achieve Universal
Health Coverage and the Sustainable
Development Goals.
WHO Solidarity Trials
When the World Health Organization
(WHO) launched the Solidarity Trial
Vaccine, the UP-PGH was one of the
600 hospitals in 52 countries which
participated in the large-scale global
undertaking. Aimed at generating data
on the efficacy and safety of candidate
vaccines against emerging variants
and determine the effective COVID-19
vaccines and doses suitable for the Filipino
population, the Philippines’ Department
of Science and Technology (DOST),
DOH and the UPM officially launched the
WHO Solidarity Trial Vaccine (STV) in
December 2021.
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Sustainable Development Goal 3
Good Health and Well-being
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Expanding the PGH to serve more Filipinos
With its ever expanding role in the country’s heath care system,
the UP-PGH will soon be expanding at its present site in Manila
and in the Diliman campus in Quezon City. In March 2022,
proposals for UP’s two major Public-Private Partnership (PPP)
projects, the UP-PGH Cancer Center and the UP-PGH Diliman,
were endorsed to the highest decision-making body in the
Executive Branch. This is a step closer to providing ordinary
Filipinos greater access to world-class and affordable tertiary
hospital care and comprehensive cancer care.
The proposed UP-PGH Cancer Center will be a 200- to 300-bed
dedicated cancer center within the University’s Manila campus
in Ermita. With at least half of all beds exclusively serving
underprivileged Filipinos, the center will offer advanced,
integrated, and affordable oncology care services to those
who cannot otherwise access the kind of treatments available
in private hospitals. The proposed UP PGH Diliman, to be built
on a 4.2-hectare area in the UP Diliman campus in Quezon
City, will be a 700-bed public tertiary hospital accessible to the
poor. It aims to complement and enhance the network of health
facilities and specialized hospitals in the Quezon City area.
Projects such as these are vital to addressing the people’s
health needs and potential diseases that may appear in a
future pandemic, disaster, or crisis. These also serve as a
partnership model for state universities and colleges and other
government agencies to conceptualize and implement their
health infrastructure and services, all to ensure healthy lives
and promote the well-being of all Filipinos from all walks of life.
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UPLB UHS is an HIV testing center
The UP Los Baños (UPLB) University Health Service (UHS)
has been providing sexual and reproductive healthcare for
the public as a Department of Health-accredited HIV testing
clinic since 2019. With the UPLB located in the region with
the second highest number of recorded HIV cases in the
country according to the country’s HIV/AIDS registry, this clinic
is UPLB’s response to provide timely healthcare services. The
clinic offers free and confidential HIV tests and counseling
for UPLB constituents and neighboring communities. Free
male condoms and lubricants are also available. In addition to
counseling, the clinic refers HIV-positive individuals to the San
Lazaro Hospital, the specialty tertiary hospital of DOH for HIV/
AIDS and other infectious diseases.
UP programs for mental
and psychosocial well-being
The existing programs that supported the cognitive and
psychosocial well-being of UP constituents on every campus
have been fine-tuned, and new ones created, to address the
challenges that emerged due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The uncertainties since 2020 and sudden changes required
to adapt to the “new normal” heightened the mental and
emotional fatigue experienced by the University’s students,
faculty, and staff. Here are some of the notable efforts done
by concerned offices in the UP System, UP Open University
(UPOU), and UPD.
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Sustainable Development Goal 3
Good Health and Well-being
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Faculty from UPOU shared tips on
maintaining psychosocial health. They
posted contact information for its
students who wish to reach the helpdesk
of the Office of Student Affairs or seek
help from professionals and counselors.
Free and confidential psychosocial
support and psychological first aid were
given. Similar efforts were also done by
UP’s campuses to assist their students.
The system-wide UP Ugnayan ng
Pahinungòd launched the Committee
on Psychosocial Emergency Services, or
UP CoPES, to provide members of the
University and its partner communities
with adequate psychosocial health
and services during periods of crisis.
The “strengths-based” and “resiliencebased”
approach of the program
and its counterparts aim to equip
students, faculty, staff members, and
alumni of UP with the knowledge and
skills to offer psychosocial support to
themselves, their families, their peers,
and communities. The Pahinungòd’s
program complements existing efforts
by UPD’s University Health Service and
PsycServ.
UP’s “Sandigan, Sandalan: Training
and Advocacy Programs for Mental
Health” is among the newest services
which offer: the Directory of Mental
Health Service Providers; the Training
on Mental Health Promotion in the
Teaching-Learning Environment; the
Training Program for Peer Mental Health
Advocates; and, the Student Mental
Health Advocacy Program. More than
200 faculty members and staff of student
affairs offices across the UP System have
completed this program.
Webinars were also conducted by the
UPD Office of Counseling and Guidance
(OCG) in partnership with the Office of
the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
(OVCSA) and the Philippine Guidance
and Counseling Association (PGCA).
Their Celebrate Life 2021 was a six-
5
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part webinar series aimed to develop,
promote, and optimize the personal
strengths of students, faculty, staff, and
other stakeholders to face the challenges
of the times. Students, faculty and
employees from UP Diliman, UP Manila,
UP Los Baños, UP Visayas, and UP
Open University, guidance counselors,
psychologists, and psychometricians
participated in the webinars.
A Smoke-free University
The University enforces a “no smoking policy,” including bans
on the sale and advertisement of tobacco products, in all its
campuses and buildings across the archipelago. All Chancellors
are tasked to implement and maintain this policy. The “no
smoking policy” is in accordance with the Executive Order 26
providing for the establishment of smoke-free environments in
public and enclosed laces, the Clean Air Act of 1999, and the
Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003.
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Sustainable Development Goal 4
Quality Education
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UP champions vocational and continuing education
Vocational training forms the backbone
of any inclusive workforce. With
Industry 5.0 ushering in unprecedented
technological changes, Filipino workers
of the 21st century are expected
to update their knowledge and be
technically adaptable through the
disciplined pursuit of lifelong learning.
UP has stepped up its practical offerings’
work-ready courses to strengthen
competencies in various industries, in
line with its mandate to lead in a worldclass
education and public service.
The Continuing Education Program
(CEP) courses of the UPOU are excellent
examples of these non-formal courses
that are free to all interested participants.
The CEPs are a set of 12- to 16-week
distance courses. They focus on building
competencies in areas from special
education (e.g., caring for a child with
special needs, financial management
in nursing practice, research utilization
in nursing administration, impact
assessment and poverty alleviation), to
environment (e.g., organic agriculture,
integrating climate change adaptation
and disaster risk management policies,
responding to climate risks in agriculture
and natural resource management), and
to e-commerce (e.g., introduction to
electronic commerce, new enterprise
planning, personal entrepreneurial
development, simplified accounting for
entrepreneurs).
Similarly, UP Manila, as part of its
leadership role in the health sciences
and allied professions, launched a fourmonth
online Health Policy and Systems
Research (HPSR) course in 2020. The
course aims to strengthen and support
the implementation of the country’s
Universal Health Care (UHC) Act, which
was signed into law in 2019. The 2021
edition of the course saw 74 graduates
from healthcare sites across the country
equipped with new skills in evidencebased
research to lead the successful
rollout of UHC in all corners of the
nation.
UPLB, through the Institute of
Cooperatives and Bio-enterprise
Development (ICOPED) of the College
of Management and Economics (CEM),
conducts 1- to 4-day training programs
on the fundamentals of running a
successful cooperative, from credit
management to good governance.
The College also provides free groupbased
specialized training on topics like
enterprise development for the youth
and making business continuity plans on
their website.
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Amid the pandemic, UP’s educational outreach efforts prosper
Even as the pandemic restricted
mobility and shut down classrooms,
the University’s spirit of voluntarism was
set afire. Many units within UP saw the
crisis as an opportunity to deliver their
expertise right to people’s doorsteps.
One of the biggest contributors during
the pandemic was the Ugnayan ng
Pahinungód, the University’s official
volunteer program. Ugnayan ng
Pahinungód (Oblation Corps) volunteer
program complements the University’s
academic programs in the sciences, arts,
digital technology, indigenous studies,
agriculture, fisheries, engineering, and
medicine.
Pahinungód’s four education programs
shifted to the online and remote mode
to continue its mission of assisting
public primary and secondary schools
in delivering quality education, i.e.,
Gurong Pahinungód 4.0 (GP 4.0), the
Affirmative Action Program (AAP), the
Tutorial Services Program (TSP), and the
Teacher Development Program (TDP).
GP 4.0 is guided by the United Nations
Pedagogy 4.0, Education 4.0, and
SDG 4 in helping uplift the quality
of education in public schools in the
country. Two alumni volunteers were
deployed as the first online GP volunteers
to the Department of Education (DepEd)
Schools Division in a western Visayas
province. These volunteers collaborated
with the regional and provincial-level
DepEd supervisors to craft learning
materials and modules for online
delivery.
The AAP is a college preparatory
program to equip high school students
with skills for tertiary education.
Pahinungód volunteers from UP Baguio,
Los Baños, and Open University served
as course coordinators who used
synchronous and asynchronous learning
modes to deliver bridge programs in
English and Mathematics to well over
3,000 high school students nationwide.
The TSP for basic education enables
UP students to volunteer as tutors
for students from marginalized
backgrounds. Pahinungod shifted its
outreach tutorials to a modular, online
approach to ensure that children in
far-flung barangays (villages) could
keep their math, science, and language
skills sharp while studying at home.
For example, UP Baguio Pahinungód
provided one-on-one remediation in
Filipino and English for second and thirdgraders
and remediation in statistics,
physics, and chemistry for senior high
school students. Meanwhile, UP Cebu
Pahinungód focused on helping grade
10 students with their public speaking
and oral communication skills.
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Sustainable Development Goal 4
Quality Education
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The TDP involves UP faculty members
providing mentoring services on content
and pedagogy for public school teachers.
UP Cebu and UP Mindanao Pahinungod
conducted a series of webinars on
assessment with action research in
remote/online contexts. Not everybody
had a stable internet connection, so
the workshop was broadcast via a
projector in multiple schools. The
workshop focused on strengthening
teachers’ capacity to do action research,
which UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro
described as very important in the field
of education. Meanwhile, Pahinungód of
UPOU conducted webinars on teaching
reading to struggling, beginner,
and adolescent readers; UP Baguio
volunteers focused on public school
teachers’ mental health and well-being.
In addition to Pahinungod’s education
programs, UPLB Pahinungód launched
the BUYanihan program, which helped
far-flung communities market their
agricultural produce amid restrictions
to tourism and traffic. They did this
by marketing these products online,
increasing the visibility of locally made
food products and handicrafts.
Not to be outdone, other constituent
universities held their own, sometimes
student-led, outreach efforts. At UP
Manila, the College of Dentistry
partnered with the Community Health
and Development Program of the
College and the Mendez Central School,
Cavite, to create educational materials
on oral health. Entitled “Maliwanag na
Ngiti para sa Kinabukasan ng Mendez
CENTRALIAN,” the works detailed how
children can best protect their oral health
despite the shift to virtual learning.
UP policies promoting lifelong learning
While the COVID-19 pandemic upended
education globally, it also catalyzed
the overdue transformation of higher
education. Even before the pandemic,
UP had already planned to shift to a
lifelong learning model featuring a
blended, independent approach to
education. When the lockdowns began,
however, plans on the drawing board
had to be implemented immediately.
The policy shift toward more
independent, student-centered learning
began even earlier with the passage
of Republic Act 10650 or the Distance
Learning Act in 2014. The law seeks to
further democratize access to higher
education by applying open learning. It
even explicitly designated the UPOU as
an adviser of the Commission on Higher
Education (CHED) and the Technical
Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA) on distance learning
matters.
The pandemic forced the University to
expedite these plans. The initial rallying
cry came with releasing the memorandum
from the Office of the Vice President for
Academic Affairs laying out plans to
cope with the pandemic successfully.
The program included the fully remote
implementation of the academic year
2020-21, utilizing learning management
systems like University Virtual Learning
Environment (UVLê) and Virtual Learning
Environment (VLE), shaping programs
for remote delivery, and extensive
stakeholder meetings.
The memorandum was soon followed
by the Kaagapay sa Pagaaral ng mga
Iskolar ng Bayan (Learning Assistance for
Scholars of the Nation) or #KaagapayUP
project, an unprecedented fundraising
drive to support the more than 5,000
students of UP who could not afford
distance learning. Through the project
and UP’s private sector partners, the
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university raised the amount needed to
procure laptop computers and internet
connections for needy students. This
project helped UP students to thrive and
gave them confidence in the University’s
unwavering support in their time of
need.
The push for lifelong learning access
didn’t begin, nor does it end with
COVID-19. Each constituent university
has policies that promote inclusiveness.
UP Baguio’s Program for Indigenous
Cultures (PIC), for example, supports
indigenous culture participation through
curriculum integration, educational
spaces, and capacity building.
UPOU offers lifelong learning for all
Education is essential to global
prosperity and sustainability. Included
explicitly in the definition of SDG 4 is
the call to promote lifelong learning,
the pursuit of additional education and
skills beyond one’s formal or compulsory
education. Though a vital component of
a competitive workforce, the delivery of
lifelong learning in the Philippines hit
serious roadblocks due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
As the country’s national university
promoting advanced studies and
public service, UP takes the lifelong
learning challenge seriously. Heading
these undertakings is the UPOU, the
nation’s open and distance education
pioneer, which offers learning materials
accessible to all Filipinos wishing to
pursue personal and professional
development.
Since 2010, the UPOU has offered
educational content under an open
license that includes free access and
redistribution. These materials are
housed in the UPOU Commons under
the UPOU Networks, a repository of
UPOU-produced multimedia resources.
The UPOU Networks has recently
become a hub for live webinars and
asynchronous learning through this freeto-access
collection.
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Sustainable Development Goal 4
Quality Education
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Furthermore, UPOU has also been
offering Massive Open Online Courses
(MOOCs) through its Massive Open
Distance e-Learning (MODeL) platform.
It began in 2013 with UPOU’s awardwinning
Introduction to Mobile
Application Development course and has
since expanded to cover other topics.
These courses provide open educational
resources that are free to use by anyone
with an internet connection.
Other UP constituent universities have
recently begun offering materials
promoting online lifelong learning. For
instance, UP’s Baguio’s official YouTube
channel has been actively live-streaming
lectures on health and indigenous studies.
The Museo Kordilyera implements the
Museum Management Training (MMT)
series. Interested individuals are trained
in running a successful museum, with
topics like cultural education and
museum case studies.
Webinars and online events boost UP’s public
service initiatives
The delivery of timely and effective
public service was likewise hampered
by mobility challenges brought about
by the pandemic. Nonetheless, UP’s
constituent universities have been at
the forefront of using online solutions
to deliver world-class public service. By
offering free webinars and live events,
these units ensure that UP’s knowledge is
used to uplift the nation and its citizens.
The Gold Quill Awards 2022-winning
series Stop COVID Deaths (SCD):
Clinical Management Updates Webinar
Series is a prime example of this. This
webinar is the Philippines’ first and
only frontline-focused medical webinar
series, which pioneered the discussion,
dissemination, and widespread adoption
of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment
and management in the country. As a
public health education program, the
series is designed to address the medical
information needs of public and private
health workers, planners, managers,
scientists, and frontline workers. The
series is a joint project of the UP System,
TVUP, Philippine Health Insurance
Corporation (PhilHealth), UP Manila
National Institutes of Health (UPM-NIH),
National Telehealth Center (UPM-NTC),
and the UP-PGH with sponsorship from
the private sector. First aired on 24 April
2020, it recently completed its 120th
episode. To date, the total views of the
webinar are over 443,000 from 122
hospitals in 28 countries.
Similarly, UP Cebu’s Teaching and
Learning Resource Center (TLRC) is also
using webinars to help the University’s
teachers promote excellence in the
profession. The TLRC’s YouTube-hosted
Teaching Enhancement series offers
free and easily accessible webinars that
educators can use to improve as mentors
and knowledge seekers. Previous topics
in this series include integrating social
media into teaching and research ethics.
As the country’s pioneer in distance
education, UPOU has also worked
tirelessly to share information through
online learning events. The UPOU site
and UPOU YouTube channel have freeto-access
webinars promoting awareness
of the nation’s key issues, such as the
lauded Open Talk series. Each episode
of Open Talk features experts speaking
on timely topics from entrepreneurship
to remote learning and proposes
practical solutions through informed,
open discussion.
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24

Sustainable Development Goal 5
Gender Equality and Women’s
Empowerment
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UP offers safety for all LGBTQIA+
The University of the Philippines takes pride in being a sanctuary
of openness, acceptance, and liberalism for all members of
the LGBTQIA+ community. No matter how they identify or
express themselves, all LGBTQ students and members of the
LGBTQ community are assured a safe, welcoming, and publicly
accessible space at UP.
One way that the University offers protection is by giving due
process to anti-harassment cases such as sexual harassment
and discrimination of LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff on UP
campuses.
These cases, handled by the Office of Anti-Sexual Harassment
(OASH) and the Women and Gender Offices of each UP
constituent unit, can range from non-recognition of one’s
gender identity to “classical” forms of stigmatization based
on sexual orientation or gender identity, exclusion from or
ostracism by a group or organization, ridiculing and namecalling,
bullying, violence, and sexual assault.
Other ways that UP offers to help the LGBTQIA+ community are
through: dialogues during which students share experiences
of discrimination, ostracism, harassment and violence;
conferences and webinars on the health and wellness of
LGBTQIA+ individuals; provision of a good support system,
and specifics of hormone replacement therapy for transitioning
individuals; art exhibits on gender equality and LGBTQ rights;
and LGBTQ events and activities, such as Pride Parades.
Student-initiated activities supporting the LGBTQIA+ community
are spearheaded by the student councils and student
organizations in each UP constituent unit e.g., UP Babaylan,
the oldest recognized LGBTQI student organization in the
Philippines and in Asia; Mentefuwaley in UP Mindanao; Lipad
in UP Visayas; LGBT Psychology Special Interest Group (SIG) of
the Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP) in UPV
Tacloban College; Bahagsari UPM in UP Manila; Bahaghari UP
Baguio; and UP Pride in UP Cebu.
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First Sexual Health Clinic in the Philippines Launched
The UP-PGH Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
launched the Division of Sexual Health (DSH), the first of
its kind in the country, on November 29, 2021, to promote
wellness and address pathologic conditions related to sexual
and reproductive health.
Cisgender women, their partners, and sexual minorities, who
are hesitant to go to clinics and hospitals for proper care and
advice due to fear of discrimination and disrespect in the clinic
setting, find DSH a safe, welcoming, and culturally appropriate
clinical environment.
The DSH’s goal is to break the barriers to healthcare by
providing UP-PGH patients from all gender categories the care
they need with compassion and competence.
The unit offers information and counseling on sexual health
education for adolescents, sexual relationship problems
including sexual dysfunction for all age groups, managing the
side effects of gender-affirming treatments, and the impact of
physical disabilities and chronic illnesses on sexual well-being.
DSH also promotes safe and satisfying sexual experiences and
addresses mental health issues related to sexual health and
concerns related to sexual violence and harmful practices such
as female genital mutilation.
DSH’s outstanding and progressive services are provided free
to patients from indigent and underserved communities.
26

Sustainable Development Goal 5
Gender Equality and Women’s
Empowerment
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UP Anti-Sexual Harassment Code
UUP does not condone sexual harassment
of any kind.
According to Section 1 of the UP
Anti-Sexual Harassment Code: “The
University values and upholds the dignity
of every individual, and guarantees
the full respect for human rights of all
members of the UP community. To this
end, the University shall maintain an
enabling, gender-fair, safe and healthy
learning and working environment for
the UP community members.”
The UP Board of Regents approved the
Anti-Sexual Harassment (ASH) Code
for the entire UP System on January 26,
2017, superseding the UP Implementing
Rules and Regulations on the Anti-Sexual
Harassment Act of 1995 (UPIRR) that the
UP BOR approved in 1998.
The Code also states that these policies
and guidelines should be observed and
applied to all UP community members,
including teaching and non-teaching
personnel, students, other UP workers,
and UP organizations.
In short, everyone, regardless of their
position and gender, is protected under
this Code.
Under the ASH Code of 2017, Offices
of Anti-Sexual Harassment (OASH) was
re-instituted under the Office of the
Chancellor in each constituent unit of
the University. Various programs were
then implemented to prevent and resolve
sexual harassment and to protect the
mental and physical well-being of sexual
harassment victims and survivors.
For example, UP Diliman launched the
Protocol for Gender-Based Violence
Prevention and Response (GBV Protocol)
which provides the guiding principles
and standards of practice in handling
any form of GBV that may occur within
and outside the campus, in adherence
to local and international codes and
policies.
UP also actively conducts public
information and education campaigns
to promote awareness against sexual
harassment and violence.
The UP Center for Women and Gender
Studies (CWGS), for example, offers
feminist and gender-sensitive peer
counseling/psycho-social assistance
for women and LGBT persons, whether
they are from the UP community or the
general public.
The CWGS seeks to provide a
psychological safe space that fully
recognizes the harm done to those who
have experienced sexual assault and
other forms of gender-based violence.
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Women in underrepresented subjects
While everyone felt the devastating
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,
women were the most affected.
At the opening ceremony of Women’s
Month 2021 at UPM, Chancellor
Carmencita Padilla pointed out that
more women than men faced job losses
because they were over-represented in
jobs hardest hit by the pandemic, such
as services and in hospitality.
With women are at the center of the
COVID-19 response, comprising almost
70 percent of health workers, they are
more prone to experience anxiety,
depression, and psycho-social disorders.
Consequently, UPM’s Women’s Month
2021 celebrated the efforts of Filipinas
in dealing with the pandemic. Several
open-access online activities were
held honoring women, along with free
services like mammography, breast and
cervical screenings at the UP Philippine
General Hospital (PGH) and HIV
screening from the PGH Sagip Unit.
Another event focused on women
in sports, media, and the arts where
women are often misrepresented or
under-represented.
A webinar, Creating Safe Spaces for
Women: The Role of Sports, Media, and
the Arts in Eliminating VAW, focused
attention on the need to create safe
spaces for women by eliminating
violence against women (VAW) and
shaping society’s view of women’s worth.
The webinar that was open to the public
was jointly sponsored by the UPM Office
of the Gender Program, UPM-Center for
Gender and Women’s Studies (CGWS),
Bahagsari-UPM, and GABRIELA-Youth
UPM. Topics included issues and
solutions to gender discrimination in
sports, media and violence against
women, and art as a tool in championing
women’s rights.
28

Sustainable Development Goal 5
Gender Equality and Women’s
Empowerment
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Caring, from cradle to cane
Child care centers are part of the campus
landscape in several UP campuses.
UP Manila has Crèche, its early childhood
care and development center, serving
the young children of the employees and
staff of UP Manila and PGH.
It was founded on the belief “that
quality education is attained through
holistic approach and a clearly defined
integrated core curriculum” so that the
young under its care may “become
healthy, responsible, productive and
ethical members of Philippine society.”
At UP Diliman, there is the Kalinga Day
Care Center (KDCC) under the Center
for Women’s and Gender Studies.
KDCC is a public, non-formal, nonstructured
alternative learning
environment that aims to provide a
comfortable and safe environment for
children aged 1.6 to 5.5 years, to meet
the developmental needs of children in
a gender-fair and peaceful environment,
and to promote positive self-concept in
children.
UPLB, meanwhile, has been freely
addressing concerns of those at the
youngest and oldest ranges of the
population.
At the day care program of Child
Development Laboratory (CDL) called
Playshop, children learn to socialize
through play. Through arts and crafts
activities, outdoor adventures, free
play, field trips, and household chores,
children develop wholesome habits,
engage better with people, and enjoy
the environment.
Meanwhile, the UPLB Elderly
Development Program (UPLB EDP) has
been providing periodic health and
wellness activities and services for senior
citizens of nearby communities. It is also
a venue for volunteerism for students
and staff, and a learning laboratory for
human and family development studies.
EDP aims to become a model program
for improving the quality of life of the
elderly Filipinos and their communities.
Still at UPLB, the public service initiative
of the College of Human Ecology (CHE)
addresses the nutritional issues of
vulnerable groups of society.
The Barangay Integrated Development
Approach for Nutrition Improvement
(BIDANI) provides direct nutrition
intervention to prevent malnutrition
among children aged 0-24 months.
Moreover, through KALINGA mix (i.e.,
a low-cost, flour-like mixture of rice,
mungbean, and sesame seed that is high
in energy, protein, and carbohydrates),
the mothers of these children and the
elderly are likewise taken care of.
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UP enhances hospitalization benefits for employees
The University of the Philippines makes sure that it also takes
care of its own, thus its continuing effort to improve the welfare
and wellbeing of all of its personnel, whether academic,
administrative, or contractual.
Early in 2017, the University implemented the Enhanced
Hospitalization Programme (eHOPE) for UP faculty, research,
extension and professional staff (REPS), and administrative staff
after the UP Board of Regents approved it in November 2016.
A highlight of the eHOPE is the P80,000 yearly financial
assistance for hospitalization expenses incurred during
hospital confinement, which improves the existing P200,000
lifetime coverage under the Financial Assistance Program
for Hospitalization Expenses (FAPHE) for UP personnel. A
P10,000 annual financial assistance is also provided to cover
medicines prescribed during confinement and upon discharge
of the UP employee.
eHOPE has been widely appreciated by UP personnel, as the
Chancellors of various UP constituent units have successfully
sealed partnerships with hospitals in their areas for a No
Cash-Out Policy (i.e., no need for initial deposit upon hospital
admission, so long as a UP identification card and letter of
authorization are presented).
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Sustainable Development Goal 5
Gender Equality and Women’s
Empowerment
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Maternity and Paternity Policies
UP extends all of the mandated special leave benefits for
eligible male and female employees to support their health
and well-being.
Under Republic Act No 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women,
female UP employees are entitled to a special leave of a
maximum of two months a year with full pay when they must
undergo surgery for gynecological disorders.
RA 11210, or the Expanded Maternity Leave Act, extended
paid maternity leave to 105 days, regardless of the mode of
delivery, civil status, legitimacy of the child, and employment
status.
Maternity leaves can be extended by up to 30 days without pay,
while single working mothers get an additional 15 days for a
total of 120 days of paid maternity leave.
As for fathers, they are entitled to a seven-day paternity leave
under RA 8187 or the Paternity Leave Act of 1996; in addition,
seven of the 105 days of maternity leave may be transferred to
the father, thus expanding fathers’ paid paternity leave to 14
days.
Single or solo parents are entitled to a parental leave of seven
days under RA 8972 or the Solo Parent’s Welfare Act of 2000.
Under the law, parents may perform their parental duties and
responsibilities where their physical presence is required. This
parental leave may be used continuously or on a staggered
basis and is granted on top of the three-day special leave and
other mandatory leave benefits for employees.
As a special concern, under RA 9262 or the Anti-Violence
Against Women and Their
Children Act of 2004, victims of VAW are entitled to a maximum
of 10 days’ leave with pay to enable them to attend to medical
or legal affairs on top of other benefits provided under the law.
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32

Sustainable Development Goal 11
Sustainable Cities and Communities
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The University of the Philippines, the country’s national
university, is entrusted with numerous heritage and landmark
structures as well as vast, open green spaces that belong
not only to the academic community but also to the greater
Philippine society.
Given this heavy responsibility, the UP system has committed
itself to keeping these spaces and structures safe, resilient,
sustainable, and inclusive or accessible to those who need
them.
These include cultural heritage buildings; places of worships
and health facilities including the Philippine General Hospital
which played a significant role during the COVID-19 pandemic;
natural and cultural museums; and marine and forest reserves
located in its 19 campuses, research areas, and stewardship
properties spread across the country.
Keeping it Green
UP Diliman’s Biodiverse and Sustainable Campus
UP Diliman, the largest of the 19 campuses of the UP System
in terms of size as well as population and academic programs
occupies a total of 493 hectares. “From the very start, the plan
for UP Diliman was to be green, to be a university-in-a-park
setting,” said UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena E.
Pernia. “All developments that followed over the years were
largely in keeping with the original green intent,” she added.
At the center of the vibrant Diliman campus is the Academic
Core, a 20-hectare botanical reserve with two landmarks -
Quezon Hall which houses the administration offices of the UP
System and UP Diliman and Gonzalez Hall that hosts the UP
Main Library.
The Academic Core or Academic Oval also features UP’s
iconic Oblation Plaza, the Amphitheater, the Lagoon, and
the Sunken Garden, a 5-hectare multipurpose sunken grass
expanse where various field games, recreational activities and
outdoor concerts are held.
These spaces not only serve as free-to-use outdoor venues for
social interaction, political and cultural expression, and health
and wellness activities for the public such as meditation and
physical activities, they also provide fresh air and visual relief
that benefit not just the academic community but the general
public as well.
To help preserve and nurture UP Diliman’s landmarks and
open spaces, UP Diliman published its updated Environmental
Sustainability Policy document that outlines its commitment
to the preservation, conservation and revitalization of its
environment, and the reduction of its overall carbon footprint.
The action policy, which is being promoted to its faculty, staff,
and students as well as the larger UP Diliman Community, is
guided by these principles: human rights-based, participatory,
non-discriminatory, gender-fair, social justice, and ecological
balance.
The expansive UP Diliman campus is also blessed with a rich
ecosystem consisting of decades-old trees and hundreds of
species of flora and fauna. To preserve and protect this green
oasis, the Biodiversity Management Handbook, a compendium
of UP Diliman’s policies on biodiversity management and
protection in the campus, was published.
In his Foreword, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion explained:
“This Handbook will serve as a reference and guide for
building administrators and the various units in UP Diliman,
offering concrete, practical and specific guidelines for
planning and management, for harmonizing the construction
and infrastructure development on campus with the natural
environment, for the use of space and mobility within the
campus, and for waste management—all based on the ethics
of biodiversity management and the principles of harmony,
respect for all forms of life, and shared responsibility.”
And because UP is also the university of the people, the impact
of adhering to the handbook’s guidelines is felt even by those
outside the immediate UP Diliman community.
“What we are able to accomplish now not only benefits those
on campus, but also the larger community who trusts UP
Diliman to provide that bit of solace under the trees, as they
come to commune with nature or go on that weekly bike ride,
jog, walk to escape the bustle of the city,” said UP Diliman
Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo.
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Keeping it Green
UP Diliman’s Sustainable Mobility Practices
The University of the Philippines is committed to promoting
sustainable transport and mobility while protecting the
environment and the health of the commuting public.
This commitment is expressed primarily in UP Diliman, the
System’s largest constituent unit with more than 20,000
undergraduate and graduate students - accounting for roughly
40 percent of UP’s total student population - who need to move
within the 493-hectare campus.
One environment-friendly solution came from the students
themselves -- the free bike-sharing on campus proposed and
managed by UP Bike Share, a non-profit advocacy group of
undergraduate students. UP Bike Share now provides free
use of 30 red-and-white painted bikes for some 50 dormitory
students.
To ensure the safety of bike riders, UP Diliman assigned bike
lanes around the Academic Oval with speed limit reminders.
To maintain good air quality within the campus and to reduce
the carbon footprint of employees who regularly or frequently
move from one office to another as part of their work, UP
Diliman purchased electric tricycle and cars and built charging
stations within the campus.
UP’s Cultural Heritage Stewardship
The University of the Philippines preserves and protects
historical campus grounds and national heritage facilities in
its care, as provided under the National Cultural Heritage Act
of 2009. Each of the eight constituent units of the University
house expertly-curated museums and galleries.
The role of museums in producing and shaping knowledge by
providing insight into human history is well-acknowledged in
both the popular and academic spheres. University museums
— particularly the museums and galleries maintained by UP
— are exceptionally important for being public spaces for
experiential and self-directed learning. Without exception,
all the museums of the UP actively develop integrative and
interdisciplinary projects, renovate and rehabilitate collections,
and collaborate with local, national, and global communities.
UP Diliman, for example, is home to both natural and cultural
museums expertly curated by the colleges that manage them.
Among these notable museums are the Costume Museum of
the College of Home Economics where a collection of more
than a thousand pieces of rare and authentic historic Filipino
3
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costume and accessories are on display, the UP College of
Music Museum of Musical Instruments featuring a collection
of ethnic musical instruments from the Philippines and other
countries, and the Filipiniana Research Center’s Bulwagan ng
Dangal (Hall of Honor) which houses UP’s own art collection.
The Diliman campus also houses museums of natural heritage
such as the Jose V. Santos Herbarium, a collection of some
20,000 specimens, mainly vascular plants, including a
collection of grass specimens by Santos, fern specimens by
Presciliano Zamora, and a general collection by Leonardo
Co, plant taxonomist and one of the greatest ethnobiologists
in the country; the UP Biology Invertebrate Museum, which
has a collection of 1,279 Arthropods, 582 Cnidarians, 602
Echinoderms and 2,819 Mollusks; and the UP NIGS-UPGAA
Geology Museum, which has a comprehensive display of types
of minerals, rocks and fossils.
UP Diliman is also proud to host the art collection of Jorge
B. Vargas, displayed at the three-story building that bears his
name. The collection of the country’s first Executive Secretary
under Pres. Manuel L. Quezon includes works by late 19th
century artists such as Lorenzo Guerrero, Simon Flores, Juan
Luna and Felix Resurrecion Hidalgo and those from the 1930s
and 1940s, most notably Fabian de la Rosa and Fernando
Amorsolo.
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Other notable museums of the UP System are in UP Manila,
the Museum of a History of Ideas which honors the University’s
pivotal role in the emergent nation; in UPLB, Museum of
Natural History (See next subtopic, “UP’s Natural Heritage
Stewardship” ; in UP Visayas, Museum of Natural Sciences
and Museum of Art and Cultural Heritage; in UP Mindanao, the
Mindanao Food Museum; at the UP Open University, the Sinag
Gallery; in UP Baguio, the Museo Kordilyera; and in UP Cebu,
the Jose T. Joya Gallery and Museum of Art and Culture.
The University also avidly supports initiatives that promote and
enrich Filipino culture by encouraging performances such as
those of the UP Symphony Orchestra and providing venues for
cultural expression such as the Ishmael Bernal Gallery, a flexible
space for artists where they can hold multimedia exhibits and
art installations. The indoor space is also perfect for intimate
film screenings and cultural nights.
The UP System also invests in period renovation of its heritage
buildings, structures and art pieces as part of efforts to preserve
them for future generations of Filipinos to enjoy. It embarks
on this delicate work with the guidance and approval of the
National Historical Commission, thus ensuring that green
spaces in campuses, for example, are revitalized to make them
more welcoming to the public and outdoor art installations are
brought back to their former glory.
The University’s renovation initiatives are guided by the following
principles outlined in its 2012 UP System Master Development
Plan: a) lower the ecological footprint of the campus; b)
avoid damages to or the demolition of heritage structures
and their surrounding habitat; and d) create incentives for the
conservation of historic and cultural heritage properties. UP’s
Master Plan also encourages the dissemination of heritage
preservation guidelines and codes to ensure community
participation.
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UP’s Natural Heritage Stewardship
Like Diliman, UP Los Banos is a conscientious steward of the
country’s natural heritage and reserved green spaces under
its jurisdiction, including the Mount Makiling Forest Reserve
(MMFR).
MMFR, an ASEAN Heritage Park located 65 km south of
Metro Manila, features two recreational sites for the public:
the Makiling Botanic Gardens and the Mariang Makiling Trail.
Activities allowed in the reserve include hiking, leisure walk,
jogging, and birdwatching. The popular spots also allow
picnics, photoshoots, film shootings, and other social events.
The forest reserve and heritage park, which spans a total of
4,244 hectares straddling parts of the Los Baños, Bay and
Calamba City in the province of Laguna and Sto. Tomas in the
province of Batangas, is managed by the Makiling Center for
Mountain Ecosystems (MCME), an academic institution under
the College of Forestry and Natural Resources of UPLB.
MCME is committed to generating and strengthening the
scientific knowledge for the conservation and sustainable
development of tropical mountain ecosystems in partnership
with mountain communities. MCME’s mission is to advance
knowledge and promote sustainable development of Mt.
Makiling and other tropical mountain ecosystems through
integrated and participatory research demonstration programs.
UP Los Banos also manages the Museum of Natural History,
a university-wide unit dedicated to exploring, documenting,
and preserving the Philippines’ biological diversity. Its main
role is to safely maintain priceless and irreplaceable natural
history treasures acquired through university-based research
and collaboration.
The Museum, open to researchers, students, and school
children, features an integrated biodiversity exhibit showcasing
UP’s collection of more than 250,000 preserved Philippine
animals, plants, cultures of living microorganisms.
Also on exhibit are the Philippine Eagle and other endemic
birds, the tamaraw, and a number of small mammals such as
forest rodents, terrestrial snails from Mt. Makiling, Philippine
medicinal plants, various hard and soft-bodied fungi and
marine life such as whales and dolphins.
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Climate Action
The University of the Philippines is proactively pursuing Goal 13.
UP launches Resilience Institute
On June 20, 2017, the University of the Philippines launched
the revitalized UP Resilience Institute (UPRI) to provide Filipinos
with innovative information vital to lifesaving climate change
actions and disaster risk reduction efforts.
UPRI is a proactive hub of benchmark innovative information
vital to the nation’s efforts in climate change mitigation
and adaptation. To accomplish its mission is to empower
local communities through multidisciplinary actions toward
resilience, UPRI is comprised of multi-disciplinary fellows
from science, technology, arts and humanities collaborating in
climate action and disaster risk reduction and management.
UPRI has received multiple national and international awards
and recognitions for its initiatives in helping the vulnerable
(see https://resilience.up.edu.ph/awards/)
During times of calamities, UPRI’s experts have been
deployed to all parts of the Philippines to assist in geological
surveys, structural damage assessments, and psychosocial
services among other forms of support. It provides reliable,
understandable, and timely data that are open and free to the
public. These include 127 publications from 2017 to 2021, 48
of which were textbooks published in 2019. It also produces
capacity-building programs that are essential in forming
sustainable development plans that will benefit all Filipinos,
especially the local government units (See next subtopic,
“Enabling communities”).
At UPRI’s core are the Nationwide Operational Assessment of
Hazards (NOAH) Center and the Institute’s other public service
programs: Research and Creative Work, Knowledge Sharing,
Education, and Institution Building. The NOAH project has
helped local government units since 2012 avert more than 15
potentially fatal calamities through NOAH’s probabilistic multiscenario-based
multi-hazard maps, which may be accessed
freely in the UPRI website (https://noah.up.edu.ph/). The
media and the general public have come to depend on its
assessments for guidance in disaster situations.
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In terms of policy making, one of UPRI’s high-impact public
service accomplishments was its critical role in formulating a
bill (HB 8165) which justifies the establishment of a Department
of Disaster Resilience.
Enabling communities
UPRI/NOAH, with the Local Climate Change Adaptation for
Development (LCCAD) Inc. and the office Albay Congressman
Jose Ma. Clemente Salceda, collaborated in building the
capacities of local government units, academia, and community
stakeholders to deal with climate vulnerabilities and risks. This
collaboration in 2019 resulted in the development of a onestop
hub, called Climate Vulnerability to Disaster Resilient
Albay (CVDRAL) Hub, to transform the province of Albay
from climate vulnerable to climate-disaster resilient province.
The Hub employed advanced science and technology tools
developed by UPRI/NOAH.
In other parts of the country (i.e., Batangas and Nueva Ecija),
more than 75 local government executives at the village,
provincial, and regional levels together with over 20 civil
society organizations were trained, in the years 2018-2019,
by the UPRI on how to formulate their Local Climate Change
Action Plans (LCCAPs), Climate and Disaster Risk Assessments
(CDRAs), and Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs).
Similarly, various constituent units of UP have been assisting
local government units in developing their climate action plans
and activities.
For one, in 2019, UP Los Baños worked with the local
executives of Aurora province in assessing their climate and
disaster risks towards developing the provincial climate change
action plan (LCCAP). UP Los Baños School of Environmental
Science and Management conducted a six-day online course
in 2020 on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and
Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (CCVA) for various
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local governments, academic institutions, non-government
and private organizations. The course discussed the technical
aspects and administrative procedures of the Philippine
Environmental Impact Statement system.
Meanwhile in 2019, UP Mindanao — working with local
governments surrounding the Davao Gulf — handed over the
vulnerability maps and other research outputs related to the
climate-related hazards of coastal areas of the gulf. Among
the 76 maps provided to the 17 local governments in the
area were Natural Disaster Vulnerability Assessment Maps,
Coastal Resource Vulnerability Assessment Maps, Aquaculture
Vulnerability Assessment Maps, Fishing Livelihood Maps,
Bathymetry (depth) Maps, and Coastal Resource Maps.
Representing the beneficiary local executives, Franco Calida
(mayor of Hagonoy, Davao del Sur) said, “Through these
assessments, we can protect our mangroves, our coral reefs, the
economic situation in fisheries and agriculture or aquaculture,
and the livelihood of our fisherfolks.”
To benefit the provincial governments and residents of the
island of Panay where UP Visayas (UPV) is located, faculty
and researchers of UPV conducted the “Biodiversity, Climate
Change, and Sustainable Development Training” in June 2022.
Free lectures were given on topics such as the status of the
Boracay wetlands, climate change risks to ecosystems and
biodiversity, and sustainable development in a time of climate
change.
Previously in December 2020, UPV also gave public webinars
on “Understanding Flooding in Iloilo,” with resource speakers
coming from the UP Resilience Institute, the UP Marine Science
Institute, and UPV. Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas welcomed
the UP initiative in organizing these webinars for the local
government.
Moreover, the UPV Center for West Visayan Studies (CWVS)
has been regularly implementing the Disaster Risk Reduction
Training, Education, and Advocacy for Children’s Protection
and Resilience (TEACH DRR) Project at the school and
municipal levels of two island communities in Panay.
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Resource materials for DRRM
The University of the Philippines
Padayon Public Service Office and the
UP Resilience Institute (RI), together
with the College of Social Work and
Community Development (CSWCD),
launched the first Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management (DRRM) handbook
for academic institutions on October
24, 2018. Titled Sakunang Darating,
Saklolo’y Tayo Rin (The Solution to Future
Disasters is in Our Hands), the book was
written and edited by UP’s DRRM experts
from various academic disciplines,
departments, and campuses. The
multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and
evidence-based book presents valuable
information and lessons enhances
communities’ preparedness, resiliency,
and capabilities during an emergency
or disaster.
The book, which draws from both the
social and scientific research on natural
disasters (and their impact on society
and the environment) and the practical
engagement of UP’s DRRM experts in
disaster sites over the years, provide
lessons on disaster preparedness which
can be transmitted not only to academic
communities but also to other publics
across the country.
UP Cebu published in 2021 in the
Philippine Journal of Science a study of
its greenhouse gas emissions--the first
national university in the Philippines
to measure the carbon emissions
of its constituents using the Climate
Change Commission guidelines. It
thus publicized a practice that could
be replicated by other organizations,
enabling them to closely monitor their
environmental impacts and make plans
for their stakeholders to reduce carbon
emissions.
UPRI also provided technical support
for the writing and publication of 48
K-12 textbooks on Climate Change
Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction.
Authors of the book were specially
trained teachers by the the Local Climate
Change Academy (LCCAD) of the 2nd
District of Albay.
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Climate knowledge for the world
UP has been busy in producing and disseminating knowledge
that significantly address the recognized issues of climate
change.
The UP Manila-National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted its
22nd-anniversary conference with the theme, “Health Amidst
Climate Change, Disasters, and Outbreaks,” on March 2 and
3, 2020. An integral activity in UP Manila’s public service, the
conference sought to enlighten the participants and the general
public about the intersections of climate change and health. It
discussed the present healthcare challenges and opportunities
amidst future climate change scenarios, disasters, and disease
outbreaks and network-building among various and diverse
stakeholders toward future healthcare systems.
“The theme aptly captures the broader societal role of NIH.
The clarion call for us is to go into more impactful research and
for collaboration and networking with more institutions and
sectors on health as affected by climate change, disasters, and
outbreaks,” stated UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla.
The conference tackled increased heat-related morbidities and
mortalities. These morbidities and mortalities include higher
risks of exposure to vector-borne diseases and pathogens,
reduced food availability and quality for daily nutritional
needs, increased chances of physical and mental health
issues associated with demoralized and displaced populations
resulting from climate-induced dislocation, environmental
decline, and conflict situations, greater frequency of infectious
disease epidemics and physical injuries following storminduced
floods, landslides and droughts, and other climate
change related consequences to health.
Understanding and staying abreast of the new strategies for the
early detection of emerging disease risks and outbreaks that
will likely be driven by a changing climate, will help health and
public health professionals be prepared and respond.
Discussions on urban planning and health infrastructure were
held in response to climate scenarios. Workshops were also
conducted on Disaster Preparedness by the Institute of Health
Policies and Developmental Studies (IHPDS).
Meanwhile, at UP Los Baños, the School of Environmental
Science and Management served as an academic partner to
the 6th International Conference on Climate Change 2022
with the theme “Meeting Climate Challenges Amidst the
COVID-19 Pandemic”. The conference, which was open to
environmentalists and professionals in disciplines with interest
in global climate change issues and solutions, discussed
climate change mitigation and effective adaptation, climate
change impacts, education, and social responsibility, and
climate change and carbon management.
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UP Baguio shares research and training expertise to aid Benguet’s
pandemic recovery plans
Committed to its pivotal role as the
National University in the North, the
University of the Philippines Baguio
shared its research on COVID-19 and
training expertise with the landlocked
province of Benguet and its surrounding
municipalities to develop its Covid-19
recovery and resiliency program.
UP Baguio was tapped by J.V. Ongpin
Foundation, Inc. (JVOFI) as the latter
carried out its initiative to ensure that
Covid-19 recovery plans in Benguet
are inclusive and responsive to the
province’s SDG priorities.
The project involved the Benguet
provincial government and the 13
municipal local government units of
Atok, Bakun, Bokod, Bugulas, Itogon,
Kabayan, Kapangan, Kibungan, La
Trinidad, Mankayan, Sablan, Tba, and
Tublay. This initiative was a follow-up
to JVOFI’s prior initiative, “Mobilizing
Investments and Community Participation
in SDGs through GeoMapping in the
Philippines.”
Through community workshops with the
LGUs, UP Baguio shared information
on Covid-19 research and provided
technical assistance on GIS mapping of
Covid-19 data.
UP Baguio helped identify the most
affected sectors and their location, and
the corresponding help extended to
the communities through community
workshops, research, and updating of
Benguet’s SDG website.
The project was able to identify gaps
that needed to be addressed to meet the
SDGs, specifically: SDG 1 (No Poverty),
SDG 2 (Zero hunger), SDG 3 (Good
Health and Well-being), SDG 4 (Quality
Education) and SDG 8 (Decent Growth
and Economic Growth).
These gaps include limited benefits/
incentives for frontliners, limited
capacities of parents and guardians to
monitor/assist their children studying
from home, too few livelihood programs
for the displaced employees, inadequate
water and health services, and poor
internet connectivity and communication
infrastructure that hinder them from
effectively responding to the COVID-19
crisis.
With the information generated by
this project, Benguet became better
equipped to develop a data-driven and
evidence-based pandemic recovery
program.
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The promise of better care for patients with rare diseases
As the lead partner of the Department of Health (DOH) in the
implementation of The Rare Diseases Act of the Philippines
(RA10747), the University of the Philippines Manila National
Institutes of Health (NIH) is at the forefront of building a
comprehensive national program for this vulnerable group of
children and adults suffering from rare diseases.
Along with UP Manila’s Institute of Human Genetics (IHG),
NIH forms part of the technical working group composed of
government and medical stakeholders that seek to address the
need for the timely and sustainable medical management of
persons with rare diseases.
The NIH mobilized the technical working group via online
meetings and conferences to draft the 2022-26 Strategic Plan
for the Integrated Rare Disease Management Program (IRDMP),
the first nationally coordinated effort to address rare diseases
and provide optimum health outcomes for Filipinos suffering
from them.
The plan is anchored on five key principles: 1) timely access, 2)
comprehensive, integrative, and sustainable care, 3) evidencebased
and responsive, 4) inclusive communication, and 5)
enhanced collaboration.
It addresses the need to identify, manage and register persons
with rare diseases, including the setting up of an effective
referral system, to provide them with better access to support,
treatment, and information.
Dr. Carmencita Padilla, UP Manila Chancellor and Founding
Chair of the Philippine Society of Orphan Disorders,
underscored the importance of networking with government
and private stakeholders as well as the international community
to achieve the goals for better health care.
“The path towards achieving the overall mission of the Rare
Disease Law is not just a societal commitment. It is a commitment
of the world to make sure that it is inclusive; that all patients
around the world – 300 million patients with rare diseases –
will be able to benefit from this policy.”
With a whole-of-society approach in carrying out its mandate
in RA10747, NIH and IHG consulted with medical societies to
prepare the list of the country’s priority rare diseases, which are
often chronic, progressive, degenerative and life-threatening.
In the Philippines, a condition is considered rare when it
affects one patient in every 20,000 population. With its
technical expertise and multidisciplinary consultations, UP’s
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premier national health research center has initially identified
159 rare diseases and has submitted its list to the DOH. It is
also developing a patient registry for rare diseases to facilitate
the collection of observational data and research.
Pursuing research that transforms
lives
Higher educational institutions have a unique role in
transformational development as they, among others, provide
society with valuable research and they train their student body
to become global citizens.
For the University of the Philippines, international collaboration
with strategic partners is key to maximizing its contribution to
addressing the global challenges outlined in the SDGs.
The University of the Philippines Manila, for example, leverages
its valuable expertise in medical research and collaborated with
Seattle-based global nonprofit organization PATH involving the
human papillomavirus (HPV), a globally pervasive virus that
can cause cervical cancer, the second leading cause of cancer
in the Philippines.
While HPV vaccination has been rolled out in the Philippines
since 2015, budget implications and affordability remain
a significant challenge. As new vaccines enter the market
offering different productive profiles and prices, countries now
have more options on which vaccine is most appropriate for
their communities. Thus, examining the potential health and
economic impact of vaccine alternatives is crucial.
The results of UP Manila and PATH’s analysis of the costeffectiveness
of various vaccine strategies in the Philippines
is determined to have contributed to the strengthening of the
national capacity to develop evidence-based immunization
policy decisions.
Spain’s Medico Sin Fronteras (MSF Spain) likewise collaborated
with the Institute of Child Health of the UP Manila-National
Institutes of Health, to predict disease severity in young children
presenting acute febrile illness in resource-limited settings.
Specifically, the University was commissioned to set up a study
site in two provincial hospitals in Cebu City to monitor about
900 subjects. The collaboration with UP provided MSF Spain
with the local capacity to conduct its research as part of a multicenter
study for scientific publication.
Optimizing health information key
to universal health coverage
Public, private, and community-level health facilities and
institutions collect tons of data via Routine Health Information
Systems (RHIS).
The rich information that can be mined from these systems
is essential in health planning and decision-making,
encompassing various areas, including resource allocation,
management decision-making and strategy development. Yet,
many countries, including the Philippines, fail to maximize the
potential of health information.
To help policymakers in the region make full use of the RHIS
data to achieve Universal Health Coverage in Asia-Pacific, the
World Health Organization collaborated with a team comprised
of the University of Hong Kong, Universitas Gadjah Mada in
Indonesia and UP Manila.
UP Manila was specifically responsible for providing input
into the study design and methodology as well as identifying
stakeholders and interviewing national key informants for the
study.
As the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of realtime
health system information data to provide stakeholders
with relevant data to make informed decisions, the WHO
project intends to lay a foundation that supports future policymaking
and research on the effective use of RHIS data.
As the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of realtime
health system information data to provide stakeholders
with relevant data to make informed decisions, the WHO
project intends to lay a foundation that supports future policymaking
and research on the effective use of RHIS data.
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Online conferences give a global platform for SDG discourse
Training the next generation to have a
sustainability mindset calls for instilling
greater awareness of how global issues
such as poverty, climate change, or food
security are closely interconnected with
daily activities.
The University of the Philippines provides
a dynamic venue for exchanging ideas,
collaboration, and capacity-building
through its cross-sectoral conferences
and seminars, which moved online
during the pandemic.
Organizing events online has allowed
the University to reach a broader base
of local and global audiences, says UP
President, Prof. Danilo L. Concepcion.
UP Baguio, for instance, raised the voice
of the indigenous peoples of Cordillera
via a virtual conference on Cordillera
studies.
“Indigenous Peoples are vital partners
in the implementation of the SDGs.
Conferences such as the International
Conference on Cordillera Studies are
valuable platforms for enlightened
discussions, the presentation of data and
research results, and most importantly,
the sharing of experiences, struggles,
and lessons learned,” Concepcion said.
UP Los Baños centered discussions on
food management and agribusiness
disruptions during the Global
Agribusiness Management and
Entrepreneurship Conference held in
November 2021.
The conference was spearheaded
by the Department of Agribusiness
Management and Entrepreneurship
of the College of Economics and
Management, in partnership with
the Southeast Asian Regional Center
for Graduate Study and Research in
Agriculture (SEARCA), International
Food and Agribusiness Management
Association (IFAMA), and CEM Alumni
Foundation, Inc. (CEMAFI).
Representatives from international
agencies, NGOs, and industry and
farmers’ associations exchanged
ideas with academics, researchers,
practitioners, and policymakers to tackle
disruptions affecting the agribusiness and
micro, small, and medium enterprises
sector and possible strategies to attain
growth and sustainability.
In another conference, the University
gathered stakeholders from around
the world to exchange ideas and share
the latest information on disruptive
innovations in food and nutrition.
The Institute of Human Nutrition and
Food, College of Human Ecology,
organized and hosted the 3rd Southeast
Asian Conference on Econutrition in
May 2021. The conference identified
emerging technology innovations that
can profoundly impact food systems,
food security, and nutrition to help
achieve UN SDGs.
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50

Acknowledgement
UP Sustainability Report 2020-2021
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Advisors
Danilo L. Concepcion
President
Ma. Cynthia Rose B. Bautista
Vice President For Academic Affairs
Lisa Grace S. Bersales
Vice President For Planning And Finance
Nestor G. Yunque
Vice President For Administration
Elvira A. Zamora
Vice President For Development
Elena E. Pernia
Vice President For Public Affairs
Hector Danny D. Uy
Vice President For Legal Affairs
Roberto M.J. Lara
Secretary of the University
Fidel R. Nemenzo
Chancellor, UP Diliman
Jose V. Camacho, Jr.
Chancellor, UP Los Baños
Carmencita D. Padilla
Chancellor, UP Manila
Clement C. Camposano
Chancellor, UP Visayas
Melinda dP. Bandalaria
Chancellor, UP Open University
Lyre Anni E. Murao
Chancellor, UP Mindanao
Corazon L. Abansi
Chancellor, UP Baguio
System Committee on University
Rankings
Dr. Aura C. Matias (Chair)
Director, UP Diliman Quality Assurance
Office
Dr. Imee Su Martinez (Secretariat)
Assistant Vice President for Academic
Affairs (International Linkages)
Director, Office of International Linkages
Dr. Rosemary Gutierrez
UP Baguio
Dr. Patricia Anne Nazareno
UP Cebu
Dr. Nina Cadiz
UP Los Baños
Dr. Nymia Simbulan
UP Manila
Dr. Annabelle U. Novero
UP Mindanao
Asst. Prof. Mari Anjeli L. Crisanto
UP Open University
Prof. Steve P. Janagap
UP Visayas
Prof. Jose Wendell P. Capili, PhD
Assoc Prof. Jonalou S. Labor, PhD
Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Elena E. Pernia, PhD
Editors
Artemio T. Engracia Jr.
Ma. Cristina O. Arceo Dumlao
Thelma E. Arambulo
Writers
Teresa P. Congjuico
Frederick Marcel E. Dabu
Mai Andre D. Encarnacion
Francisco V. Gargantiel II
Helen A. Jimenez
Celeste Ann C. Llaneta
Jo Florendo B. Lontoc
Khalil Ismael Michael G. Quilinguing
Layout and Design
Gato B. Borrero
Ma. Daniella Louise F. Borrero
Peter Paul D. Vallejos
Visual Production
Raden Gerald R. Agustin
Abraham Q. Arboleda
Misael A. Bacani
Anna Marie Stephanie C. Esperida
Jonathan M. Madrid
Web Content and Design
Deina Ida S. Blancaflor
Khalil Ismael Michael G. Quilinguing
Gleeselle Ivy Anne M. Rosales
Liaison and Coordination
Dianne Stephanie A. Gavan
Jamie Lyn F. Loristo
Izzabel A. Villegas
Photo Contribution
Ocs Alvarez
Jo Florendo B. Lontoc
“Precursor” by Martin San Diego (UP Photo Awards)
“Hopeful” by Eric Augustus Tingatinga (UP Photo
Awards and Kidapawan disaster response photos)
Philippine Genome Center
UP Baguio
UP Diliman Bulwagan ng Dangal
UP Diliman Kalinga Day Care Center
UP Los Baños
UP Los Baños Ugnayang Pahinungod
UP Los Baños University Health Service
UP Manila
UP Manila Early Childhood Care and Development
Center
UP Manila Health Sciences Center
UP Media and Public Relations Office
UP Open University
UP Philippine General Hospital (IRPD)
UP Visayas