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19 March 2011

Manuscripts wanted: UP College of Law to publish book on experiences of faculty, students, and alumni as members of the UP Law community

As part of its centennial celebrations, the University of the Philippines College of Law will be publishing a book titled Malcolmisms, a collection of true stories and anecdotes about the experiences of faculty, students, and alumni as members of the UP Law community.


Malcolmisms will be edited by Isabelita O. Reyes, Ph.D. Reyes is former Vice President for Public Affairs of the UP System, editor of the UP System centennial coffee table book Our University After 100 Years, and a published poet teaching creative writing with UP Diliman’s Department of English and Comparative Literature.


All alumni, faculty members, and students are encouraged to submit 500-1000 word stories for consideration to malcolmisms@gmail.com. Deadline for submissions is April 15, 2011.


Intended to reveal the lighter side of life at the College of Law, the book is a happy tribute to an institution that has, for 100 years, offered quality education in law and done pioneering legal and policy research. The College has contributed to shaping the Philippines’s social and political life, and has produced quite a few presidents, vice presidents, senators, congressmen, judges and Justices of the Supreme Court.


Declared by President Benigno S. Aquino III the “University of the Philippines College of Law Centennial Year”, the year 2011 will see for various activities celebrating 100 years of excellence in law. The Centennial Celebration theme is “The College of Law and the Challenges to Philippine Law at the Beginning of its Second Century.” Dean Marvic Leonen says that the celebrations will not only be a time to commemorate the UP Law’s history but will also be a time “to renew the institution's commitment as the country's bastion of legal education and research."

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04 January 2011

from CARMELA LAPEÑA, GMANews.TV: Eager students, parents flock to UP to see exam results

The usually empty atrium at the University of the Philippines Office of Admissions on Tuesday was filled with students and parents, eager to see the results of the most recent entrance exams.

Even if the results had been available online just after midnight on January 3, many still preferred to see the posted results.

Roughly 13,000 senior high school students passed the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) for the 2011-2012 academic year.

The figure seems large, but taken into perspective, it represents a small percent of some 67,000 examinees who took the UPCAT in August last year.

The qualifiers are ranked according to their university predicted grade (UPG), which combines their weighted averages of high school grades and their weighted scores in the UPCAT sub-tests on language proficiency, reading comprehension, mathematics and science.

The UPCAT is a five-hour examination in English and Filipino, which many aspiring UP students prepare for seriously.

Some schools even arrange for UPCAT reviews for their students. In Quezon City Science High School (QCSHS), it is an unspoken rule that majority "should" pass the UPCAT.

Among the first people to check the list of passers were QCSHS graduates Meg Rivera and Duane Banzon, who are both in their first year at UP Diliman.

The two students were scanning the list, which was posted on several bulletin boards at the Office of Admissions.

Asked if they were looking for anyone in particular, they explained they were just looking for people they knew. "It's good to see familiar faces," they said, recalling that they themselves were ecstatic when they saw their own names on the list a year ago.

Nervous parents

Several parents were also there, nervously peering at the lists, hoping to see their children's names.

Anna Velasco, whose son qualified for a slot in the Comparative Literature program, was evidently pleased.

Apart from the relatively low tuition fees, UP is known for its good reputation.

"This is where the true life is," she says. "In UP, one does not merely survive. They get exposed to all sorts of people. They learn to live, they go through several tests. UP balances the students - they learn to question what they've learned in Catholic schools," says Velasco, who studied at the Philippine Normal University.

She shares that her eldest child also went to UP, and she is very happy that her second son will get to have the same college education.

"They have established their roots, now they have their wings," she says, adding that as a parent, she also learns from them.

Policy of democratization

Based on the university’s “policy of democratization," socioeconomic and geographic factors are also taken into consideration when ranking students.

Because of this, UP has long had a reputation for being a melting pot of cultures from all walks of life.

A few other parents looked pleased, excitedly sharing the news over their mobile phones. Some others were obviously dejected. "Hintayin na lang natin sa mail," said one father to his daughter as they walked away.

After inquiring about their options, they had been told to wait for the UPG or their university predicted grade, to see if it qualifies them for courses in other campuses.

'You deserve UP'

Micah Nazal was sitting down looking glum but brightened up when asked if she passed the UPCAT.

Nazal, who was accepted in the B.S. Economics program shares that she had been so nervous the whole day yesterday that she threw up during her Economics class.

She shares that in retrospect, it may have been a good sign after all. She actually knew the results since last night when she was woken up by her father.

"Grabe, iyak ako nang iyak," she said.

"Congrats, you deserve UP," was her best friend's message to her. Nazal shares that although she was extremely happy that she passed, she was also sad as her best friend's name was not on the list.

She shares that it had been their dream to both go to UP, even though many of their batchmates at Miriam College wanted to go to the Ateneo de Manila University, which was next door to their campus.

"First of all, ang mahal mahal na ng tuition," explains Nazal, adding that this is one way she can help her parents, who have already spent so much for her private school education.

Among her reasons for choosing UP, she lists academic freedom and the fact that UP is a microcosm of the Philippines.

Apart from the UPCAT, Nazal also took the entrance exam at the Ateneo but has already decided studying in UP. In fact, she has already memorized her student number.

Breaking the bad news

"Paano ko sasabihin sa kanya? Ayoko naman siyang umiyak," said one student who had just emerged from the growing crowd.

Albert Cuaresma had just discovered that his brother's name was not on the list, and could not bear to break the bad news.

"I want to put it gently," he says, sharing that he knows his parents will also be disappointed.

He recalls that he himself was so afraid to find out if he passed that he asked someone else to check for him. He was very happy when he learned that he had passed, despite not making it into his program of choice, which was Psychology. He ended up taking B.S. Statistics, and he says he has no regrets.

"Maganda kasi, number one. It's known for academic excellence, and compared to other schools also known for excellence, it's more affordable," he says.

Low tuition

The tuition at UP is still lower than most private schools, even with the strongly-opposed 300-percent tuition increase in 2007.

The top 50 UPCAT qualifiers are awarded Oblation Scholarships, which provide them with benefits as free tuition, miscellaneous and laboratory fees, a semestral book subsidy, and a monthly incentive and transportation allowance.

All in all, there are several reasons why students and parents are eager to be part of UP. It is the only national university in the country and UP takes pride in being the pioneer in higher education through academic excellence. – VVP, GMANews.TV

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28 August 2010

Nominees for the next University of the Philippines President

The Board of Regents at its 1259th meeting held on August 27, 2010 at the Mintal campus of UP Mindanao accepted the nominations for the next UP president of the following:

Alaras, Consolacion R. (Folklore Studies)
Azanza, Patrick Alain T. (Education / Law)
Briones, Leonor M. (Public Administration / Governance)
Cabral, Esperanza I. (Medicine / Pharmacology)
Cao, Sergio S. (Business Administration)
Diokno, Benjamin E. (Economics)
Diokno Ma. Serena I. (History)
Pangalangan, Raul C. (Law)
Pascual, Alfredo E. (Chemistry / Business)
Teodosio, Virginia S. (Labor / Industrial Relations)
Velasco, Luis Rey I. (Entomology)

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University of the Philippines appoints new Professors Emeriti

At its 1259th meeting held in UP Mindanao on 27 August 2010, The Board of Regents approved the appointment of the following as Professor Emeritus effective upon their retirement:

1. Jasmin Acuna (Business Administration)
2. National Artist Virgilio S. Almario (Literature / Creative Writing)
3. Ramon Arcadio (Pediatrics)
4. National Scientist Lourdes Cruz (Marine Science)
5. Randolf David (Sociology)
6. Antonio Montalban (Orthopedic Surgery)
7. Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo (Literature / Creative Writing)
8. Concepcion Lizada (Food Science and Nutrition)
9. Felipe Miranda (Political Science)
10.Solita Monsod (Economics)
11.Evangel Quiwa (Computer Science)
12.Rafael Rodriguez (Business Administration)
13.Rosario del Rosario (Social Work & Community Development)
14.Ligaya Tiamson-Rubin (Literature / Creative Writing)
15.Lina Valcarcel (Business Administration)
16.Basilio Esteban Villaruz (Dance)

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17 July 2010

from TJ Dimacali, GMA 7 News TV: UP's first woman president prepares to step down

TJ DIMACALI, GMANews.TV

07/17/2010 | 08:09 PM


The University of the Philippines (UP) has just announced that it is now looking for nominees to succeed Dr. Emerlinda Roman, the premier state university's ninetenth president and the first woman to hold the office. Apart from being UP's first woman president, Roman also has the distinction of being the university's "centennial president" as the institution celebrated its centennial in 2008.


'It took almost a hundred years'

"It took the University almost a hundred years to decide that the time had come for a woman to occupy the University’s top post. It would seem that, although it was believed that a woman was 'good enough' to be vice president or even chancellor, the University was better led by a man. The irony of this is not lost on UP's women students or the women faculty members, who outnumber the men in our campuses," Dr. Roman
said before the Civil Service Commission in 2006.

"For women to be truly equal to men, we need structural changes. More importantly, we need attitude changes. And we are all aware that attitudes can only be changed through education," she added.

BOR convenes Search Committee

As Roman's term will end on February 9, 2011, the UP Board of Regents (BOR) convened in June this year and constituted itself into the Search Committee. Composed of all the Regents, the Committee will prepare a list of nominees from among whom the Board will make its final choice.

"Any outstanding Filipino known to possess integrity, stature in the academic profession, a national and international reputation as a scholar, and proven administrative capability may be nominated by any person, group, or organization both from within or outside the University System," the UP Secretariat explained in a press release.

The Search Committee is set to hold fora and dialogues in the various UP campuses in September and October this year. Nominees will be asked to present their vision and programs to the Board on November 8, and a new president is expected to be elected when the Board convenes at its 1,262nd meeting on November 26.

Nominations welcome

For those interested in the position, each nominee is required to submit a curriculum vitae; a vision statement; a statement of willingness to serve; and a brief justification for the nomination. All nominations must be in sealed envelopes, addressed to the UP Board of Regents Search Committee for the UP President, and submitted to the Office of the Secretary of the University and the Board of Regents, Quezon Hall, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City no later than 5:00 p.m., August 25, 2010. For further information, the UP Secretariat may be contacted by regular mail at Quezon Hall, University of the Philippines, Diliman Quezon City 1101, Philippines; at telephone no. (632) 927-67-80; telefax nos. (632) 920-68-97 and (632) 920-68-85; or via email at osu@up.edu.ph.
- GMANews.TV

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16 July 2010

Search for Next U.P. President On

Search for Next U.P. President On
Friday, July 16, 2010

The UP Board of Regents (BOR) is now inviting nominations for the President who will succeed UP’s Centennial President, Dr. Emerlinda R. Roman. Roman’s term will come to a close on February 9, 2011.

At its 1255th meeting on June 2, 2010, the Board constituted itself into the Search Committee for the next UP President. Composed of all the Regents, the Committee will prepare a list of nominees among whom the Board will make the final choice.

Any outstanding Filipino known to possess integrity, stature in the academic profession, a national and international reputation as a scholar, and proven administrative capability may be nominated by any person, group, or organization both from within or outside the University System. The Search Committee hopes to encourage as many nominations as possible and welcomes the widest participation of the University’s constituents and stakeholders.

The Search Committee shall conduct fora and dialogues throughout the UP System in September and October. Nominees shall be asked to present their vision and programs before the Board on November 8, 2010. The UP Charter empowers the Board to elect the President which it shall do at its 1262nd meeting on November 26, 2010.

Each nomination shall include (1) the nominee’s curriculum vitae, (2) his or her vision statement, (3) a statement of his or her willingness to serve, and (4) a brief justification for the nomination. All nominations must be in sealed envelopes, addressed to the UP Board of Regents Search Committee for the UP President, and submitted to the Office of the Secretary of the University and the Board of Regents, Quezon Hall, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City no later than 5:00 p.m., August 25, 2010.

Timetable for the Search for the Next UP President

1. Constitution of the Search Committee2 June 2010
2. Discussion of the Criteria for the Selection of the UP President14 July 2010
3. Call for nominations15 July 2010 to 25 August 2010
4. Evaluation/Screening of Nominees

27 August 2010 (Friday)
BOR Meeting

5. Nominee’s ForumSeptember to October 2010
6. Presentation of Vision and Programs before the BOR and Interviews

8 November 2010 (Monday)
8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

7. Election of the New President

26 November 2010 (Friday)
BOR Meeting

Criteria Selection - 1

  • Stature in the academic profession
  • Administrative capability
  • National and International reputation as a scholar
  • Probity and moral integrity

Criteria Selection - 2

  • Values and perspectives
    • Possesses the political will and the political skills to defend and promote academic freedom and institutional autonomy
    • Committed to academic excellence
    • Has a clear and inspiring vision of UP’s role in the 21st century
    • Leads in ensuring the implementation of democratic governance in the university based on collegiality, representation, accountability, transparency and active participation of constituents

Criteria Selection - 3

  • Has the ability to raise funds without compromising the traditional values and ideals of academia
  • Possesses the capacity to manage available resources to sustain the UP Modernization program
  • Fair in dealing with all constituents; does not engage in factionalism

Criteria Selection - 4

  • Preserves the secular, public and non-sectarian character of UP
  • Maintains and enriches intellectual diversity; does not promote a particular religion or school of thought
  • Keeps UP above politics, but respects the rights of faculty members and and students to participate in political debates and campaign their beliefs within the limits of the law

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16 February 2010

U.P. forum on The Promise of Redemption: BESRA and the Need for Higher Education Reform

The University of the Philippines

Office of the President

Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs

College of Education, College of Law and the

Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UCIDS)

cordially invite you to a forum on

The Promise of Redemption: BESRA and the Need for Higher Education Reform

Maria Serena I. Diokno

Convenor

Ma. Cynthia Rose B. Bautista

Allan B. I. Bernardo

Dina Ocampo

Panel Members

Arguing that Philippine education should be treated as cohesive passageways to learning, the panel examines the philosophical and practical underpinnings of current reform plans and proposals. The nature and pace of reforms already in place will be analyzed. Despite its rich and progressive content, for example, why has the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA) not moved fast enough? The panel also extends its analysis to higher education and proposes guidelines for reform in the tertiary sector.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 2:00 – 5:00 pm

NISMED Auditorium, UP Diliman Campus

Beamed live to

UP Baguio, UP Los Baños, UP Manila, UP Mindanao, UPOU, UP Visayas at Iloilo, Cebu and Tacloban

For inquiries please call 4359283 or fax 9293540

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05 February 2010

CALL FOR PAPERS: International Conference on Postcolonial Praxis

CALL FOR PAPERS
International Conference on Postcolonial Praxis


Department of English and Comparative Literature
College of Arts and Letters
University of the Philippines
UP Diliman, Quezon City
21-23 July 2010


Through this conference, we invite participants from other parts of the Philippines and from other former colonies /countries in the “Global South” (i.e., “underdeveloped , “developing”, “Third World”, decolonizing societies) to reexamine and to re-territorialize Anglo-American, English, American, French, German, Dutch, Hispanic, Latin American Studies, programs and projects.


The conference aims to provide a venue for the construction of a general programmatic of postcolonial knowledge-production and other postcolonial cultural practices which can be disseminated through formal educational institutions as curricula and courses; informal/alternative educational groups; professional organizations; mass media; computer-aided technologies, and through cultural networks.

Plenary speakers include Professor Reynaldo C. Ileto of National University of Singapore and UP Diliman University Professor Emeritus Gemino H. Abad.


Postcolonial Praxis: Theories, Cultural Practices and Movements for the Global South

THEMES


• Postcolonial Writing/ Visual Arts / Performance Arts and the New technologies • Recuperating Colonial Languages
• Re
‐territorializing Language and Literature Studies in the Global South
• Problematizing the “National” in National Cultural Practices • Issues and Concerns of a National Language in a Decolonizing Society
• Dialectics of Native Authenticity & Cultural Hybridity
• Politics of “Otherness”, “Politics of Othering” Nation Formation and Postcolonial Cultural Studies
• Understanding / Re
‐semanticizing the Role of the “the Folk” / “Millenarian”/ “Cargo Cults” in the Histories of Nation Formation
• History and Counter Memory or Alternative Historiographies in / for Postcolonial/ Cultural Studies
• Problems of Representation (e.g., essentialism vs. ghettoism; “strategic essentialism”; tokenism)
• Politics of Location (ethnic, class, race, gender, religion, generation, etc ) and Cultural Praxis
• Postcolonial Politics and Climate Change
• Postcolonialism and Critiques of Disciplinary Domain Assumptions / Theoretical Legacies / Subject Areas

Please submit panel and paper proposals to the Conference Convenor:
Professor Priscelina Patajo
‐Legasto

Deadline for submission of abstracts is on 30 March 2010
Final conference details will be posted on 15 April 2010
Conference website: www.updecl.org

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01 February 2010

DZUP back on the air

DZUP 1602, the official radio station of UP Diliman, returns to the airwaves starting February 1, 2010. The station will be testing a new programming grid, and will be officially launched on March 1.

DZUP 1602 will be using a new tower and transmitter, and will be broadcasting at 5 kilowatts power making the station available throughout Metro Manila and in parts of Bulacan and Pampanga (up north) and Cavite and Laguna (down south). The station, which broadcasts from the Media Center of the College of Mass Communications in UP Diliman, will be available from 12 noon to 8 p.m., Mondays to Fridays.

The programs on DZUP are station-produced by the faculty members and student-interns of the Broadcast Communication Department, which utilizes the station as a laboratory. Included in the station‘s revitalized program line-up are "Abogado ng Bayan" (daily at 4:00-5:00 p.m.) produced with the UP College of Law, and "Itanong kay Engineer" (daily at 6:00-7:00 p.m.) produced with the UP College of Engineering.

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Beyond 2010: Leadership for the Next Generation -- A UP Academic’s Congress To Challenge our Next Leaders

Beyond 2010: Leadership for the Next Generation

A UP Academic’s Congress To Challenge our Next Leaders

February 1 to 5, 2010

Malcolm Hall, College of Law

University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City

(admission is free / open to the public)

This academic congress intends to identify the current issues, map the various approaches that have been tried in the past, provide some assessment of their gains and failures and draw out possible actions that must be done by the next administration. It is intended to empower the general public by making these issues transparent. It is not solely addressed to the candidates for the 2010 elections. At the end of the forum, the public should be able to draw their own measurable objectives and milestones that can be achieved within the next six years hence allowing them to craft questions which they can ask from their candidates and make wise choices. The forum should draw responses from the political candidates that will go beyond mere generalities or rhetoric.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

DAY 1 - February 1, 2010, Monday

8:30 AM Start of Registration Proper

9:30 AM Opening Ceremonies

9:30 – 9:45 AM Opening Remarks by Dean Marvic M.V.F. Leonen

9:45 – 10:00 AM Message from UP President Emerlinda R. Roman

10:00- 10:45 AM “What Truly Matters to Filipinos?” by Prof. Randolf S. David

10:45 – 12:00 AM Open Forum

12:00 – 1:30 PM Lunch Break

1:30 – 3:30 PM Session 1: Jobs and the Cost of Doing Business

3:45 – 5:45 PM Session 2: Debt and Deficits

DAY 2 - February 2, 2010, Tuesday

8:30 AM Registration Proper

9:00 – 11:00 AM Session 3: Political Economy of Mindanao

11:00 – 1:00 PM Lunch Break

1:00 – 3:00 PM Session 4: Health and Politics

DAY 3 - February 3, 2010, Wednesday

8:30 – 10:30 AM Session 5: Diaspora of Filipinos

10:30 – 12:30 PM Session 6: Property Reform and Related Issues

12:30 – 1:30 PM Lunch Break

1:30 – 3:30 PM Session 7: Urban Development and Housing

3:45 – 5:45 PM Session 8: Science and Technology

DAY 4 - February 4, 2010, Thursday

8:30 – 10:30 AM Session 9: Confronting Trade, Markets and Regulation

10:30 – 12:30 PM Session 10: Foreign Policy

12:30 – 2:00 PM Lunch Break

2:00 – 4:00 PM Session 11: Climate Change and DRR

DAY 5 - February 5, 2010, Friday

8:30 – 10:30 AM Session 12: Culture of Impunity

10:30 – 12:30 PM Session 13: Elections and How to Choose Leaders

12:30 – 1:00 PM Lunch Break

1:30 – 3:30 PM Session 14: Labor

3:45 – 4:45 PM Summary by the Chief Rapporteurs

4:45 PM Closing Remarks by UP Diliman Chancellor Sergio S. Cao

Session 15: Energy Security (Third week of February)

Beyond 2010: Leadership for the Next Generation

A UP Academic’s Congress To Challenge our Next Leaders

February 1 to 5, 2010

Malcolm Hall, College of Law

University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City

This academic congress intends to identify the current issues, map the

various approaches that have been tried in the past, provide some

assessment of their gains and failures and draw out possible actions

that must be done by the next administration. It is intended to

empower the general public by making these issues transparent. It is

not solely addressed to the candidates for the 2010 elections. At the

end of the forum, the public should be able to draw their own

measurable objectives and milestones that can be achieved within the

next six years hence allowing them to craft questions which they can

ask from their candidates and make wise choices. The forum should draw

responses from the political candidates that will go beyond mere

generalities or rhetoric.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

DAY 1 - February 1, 2010, Monday

8:30 AM Start of Registration Proper

9:30 AM Opening Ceremonies

9:30 – 9:45 AM Opening Remarks by Dean Marvic M.V.F. Leonen

9:45 – 10:00 AM Message from UP President Emerlinda R. Roman

10:00- 10:45 AM “What Truly Matters to Filipinos?” by Prof. Randolf S. David

10:45 – 12:00 AM Open Forum

12:00 – 1:30 PM Lunch Break

1:30 – 3:30 PM Session 1: Jobs and the Cost of Doing Business

3:45 – 5:45 PM Session 2: Debt and Deficits

DAY 2 - February 2, 2010, Tuesday

8:30 AM Registration Proper

9:00 – 11:00 AM Session 3: Political Economy of Mindanao

11:00 – 1:00 PM Lunch Break

1:00 – 3:00 PM Session 4: Health and Politics

DAY 3 - February 3, 2010, Wednesday

8:30 – 10:30 AM Session 5: Diaspora of Filipinos

10:30 – 12:30 PM Session 6: Property Reform and Related Issues

12:30 – 1:30 PM Lunch Break

1:30 – 3:30 PM Session 7: Urban Development and Housing

3:45 – 5:45 PM Session 8: Science and Technology

DAY 4 - February 4, 2010, Thursday

8:30 – 10:30 AM Session 9: Confronting Trade, Markets and Regulation

10:30 – 12:30 PM Session 10: Foreign Policy

12:30 – 2:00 PM Lunch Break

2:00 – 4:00 PM Session 11: Climate Change and DRR

DAY 5 - February 5, 2010, Friday

8:30 – 10:30 AM Session 12: Culture of Impunity

10:30 – 12:30 PM Session 13: Elections and How to Choose Leaders

12:30 – 1:00 PM Lunch Break

1:30 – 3:30 PM Session 14: Labor

3:45 – 4:45 PM Summary by the Chief Rapporteurs

4:45 PM Closing Remarks by UP Diliman Chancellor Sergio S. Cao

Session 15: Energy Security (Third week of February)

First Day – February 1, 2010, Monday

Morning

Opening Sessions

Message: “The Imperatives for Philippine Society within the Next Generation”

(President Emerlinda R. Roman, University of the Philippines)

Discussions: “What Should Truly Matter to Filipinos?” (Prof. Randolf S. David,

Department of Sociology, University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Afternoon

Session 1: Jobs and the Cost of Doing Business in the Philippines (Former Dean

Raul V. Fabella, School of Economics, University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Dr. Cielito F. Habito

Department of Economics, Ateneo Manila University

Dr. Cayetano W. Paderanga Jr.

School of Economics, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Session 2: Debt and Deficits (Dean Emmanuel S. de Dios, School of Economics,

University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Dr. Felipe M. Medalla

School of Economics, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Benjamin E. Diokno

School of Economics, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Prof. Leonor M. Briones

National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Panel Abstract

The panel on debt and deficits will critically examine what is right and what is wrong with the state of public expenditures and revenues. It will assess what room, if any, exists for fiscal expansion beyond 2010. A concrete proposal will be put forward regarding the level and pattern of spending, with priority areas being delineated. The panel will identify urgent, high-impact, and readily implementable reforms to raise revenue effectively and equitably. Potential threats to continuing fiscal stability will be identified. Finally, the political economy of the budgetary process involving the executive, legislature, and local governments will be explained and directions for reform indicated.

Second Day – February 2, 2010, Tuesday

Morning

Session 3: Backrooms, Battlefields, and Backhoes: The Mindanao Conundrum (Dr. Eduardo C. Tadem, Asian Center, University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Dean Julkipli M. Wadi

Institute of Islamic Studies, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Prof. Rudy B. Rodil

Department of History, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology

Dr. Eduardo C. Tadem

Asian Center, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Mr. Francisco J. Lara Jr.

Ph.D. Candidate, London School of Economics and Political Science

Panel Abstract

In contrast to the belief that growth and development have bypassed Mindanao, its socio-economic development shows that the region has been a primary contributor to the country’s productive capacities. But the wealth generated has only resulted in a more distressed socio- economic condition for Mindanao than for the nation as a whole, an enigma exacerbated by internal colonialism—the transfer of wealth from the south to the nucleus of political-economic power in the north.

The relation of the Philippine State and the Bangsamoro polity has often been subjected to a “Sisyphean ordeal,”—each time a new development emerges, e.g., a vision of social order, political arrangement, or policy reform, it is always followed and often times countered by subsequent development, leaving the whole relation in tatters while the vision is left to cascade into dramatic irrelevance. Of equal concern is the plight of Mindanao’s 35 Lumad tribes—indigenous communities who live outside Moro areas.

Severely marginalized as a result of state resettlement programs, they now assert their own identity and right to self-determination by focusing on securing ancestral domain claims, a right that government and the other Mindanao sectors must recognize to allow the Lumads to create and develop their own social spaces.

Finally, the Maguindanao massacre can be understood by looking at the interface between two types of armed challenges—“vertical armed challenge against the state,” (i.e., MNLF and the MILF), and “horizontal armed challenges” symbolized by “inter- and intra-clan and group violence.” An “exclusionary political economy developed through contest and violence” has impoverished Muslims. Growth has been artificial while “the exploitation of lootable or non- lootable resources opens up new arenas of conflict, and a rise in violence.”

Afternoon

Session 4: Building Blocks to the Universal Enjoyment of the Right to Health (Prof.

Mary Lou L. Alcid, College of Social Work and Community Development, University of the

Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Dean Alberto G. Romualdez Jr.

Graduate School for Health Sciences, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila,

Dr. Edelina Padilla-Dela Paz

College of Medicine, University of the Philippines-Manila

Dr. Elizabeth R. Paterno

College of Medicine, University of the Philippines-Manila

Former Dean Fatima A. Castillo

College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines-Manila

Panel Abstract

Every one has the right to the highest attainable standard of physical, mental, reproductive and sexual health, and an enabling environment to guarantee its enjoyment. This frames the panel’s analysis of persisting and widening health inequities in the Philippines with adverse consequences on the poor, women and other marginalised sectors.

The panel examines health care system with focus on the organisation and governance of health services, cost of medicine and other health supplies, the training and distribution of health professionals, and health financing. Moreover, it interrogates the contentious terrain of reproductive health using the gender justice lens.

Working on the thesis that the health of the Filipino nation will not progress until meaningful improvements in the health of its most disadvantaged sectors are achieved, proposals to reform the current health care system NOW are discussed. Primary health care as key to democratizing health care and partnership development amongst stakeholders are underscored.

Session 5: Secularisms and Fundamentalisms (Dr. Sylvia Estrada-Claudio, Center for

Women’s Studies, University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Dr. Sylvia Estrada-Claudio

Center for Women’s Studies, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Prof. Ibarra M. Gutierrez III

College of Law, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Third Day – February 3, 2010, Wednesday

Morning

Session 6: The Diaspora of Filipinos: Strategic Issues, Concerns, And Alternatives

(Prof. Mary Lou L. Alcid, College of Social Work and Community Development, University

of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Prof. Mary Lou L. Alcid

College of Social Work and Community Development, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Virgel C. Binghay

School of Labor and Industrial Relations, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Jorge V. Tigno

Department of Political Science, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Maria Angela C. Villalba

Executive Director, Unlad Kabayan Migrant Services Foundation

Panel Abstract

At least ten percent of the 91 million Filipinos are overseas on a permanent or temporary basis in pursuit of a better quality of life for themselves and their families. While freedom of movement is a fundamental human right, the continuing reliance of the government on overseas employment as an economic strategy, if not a de facto policy, for more than three decades and its concomitant social costs are critical development issues. More so in the context of neoliberal globalization that virtually subsumes human rights to market considerations, and institutionalizes framing of labor migration within trade in services.

The panel shall provide the terrain on current discourse on the diaspora of Filipinos, both land and sea-based, and give voice to strategic issues and concerns from the perspective of migrants. It will highlight engagement by migrant organisations in governance, particularly the exercise of the right to suffrage, and the building of socio-economic alternatives to overseas employment.

Session 7: Property Reform and Related Issues (Prof. Elmer M. Ferrer, College of

Social Work and Community Development, University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Prof. Maria Dolores R. Bernabe

College of Social Work and Community Development, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Ernesto M. Ordoñez

Chair, Agriwatch, Inc.

Prof. Jay L. Batongbacal

Asian Center, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Panel Abstract

The persistence of structural inequities, market imperfections and weaknesses in governance in Philippine society calls for approaches to social development beyond conventional delivery of social services. It demands for approaches that address equitable opportunity and social justice. Property reform as a strategy to social development hopes to empower people to be more responsive, democratic and accountable for their own development. The panel presentations will examine the state of current property reform programs in the agricultural and coastal and marine sectors, identify current challenges, and propose institutional, policy and resource requirements that must be met in order to undertake an effective property reform program in the country.

Afternoon

Session 8: Rethinking Urban Policy: Spatial, Economic, and Institutional Aspects

(Dr. Toby Melissa C. Monsod, School of Economics, University of the Philippines-

Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Former Prof. Ernesto M. Serote

School of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dean Danilo A. Silvestre

School of Architecture, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Cayetano W. Paderanga Jr.

School of Economics, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Panel Abstract

Thirty years ago, less than 40% of the population was considered urban. Thirty years from now, more than 70% will be. An urban area may be a city or municipality in its entirety or a central district/poblacion or barangay alone, and is officially considered urban based on a minimum population density or the presence of establishments and structures of a specific type and predominant occupation (non-agriculture). Urban development is the creation of the built environment; urban land use planning, the regulation of location, intensity and direction of development of the built environment.

How is urban policy currently practiced? To what degree did it contribute to the scale of Typhoon Ondoy’s impact in Metro Manila and contiguous provinces? What lessons can be learned for emerging cities and metropolitan areas across the country? The panel examines the efficiency of urban policy, its formulation and implementation, and what local officials can but often fail to do as urban planners and managers.

Session 9: Science and Technology (Dr. Fidel R. Nemenzo, Institute of Mathematics,

University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Dean Rowena Cristina L. Guevara

College of Engineering, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dean Caesar A. Saloma

College of Science, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Roger D. Posadas

Technology Management Center, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Panel Abstract

It is widely recognized that science and technology are essential to economic progress. Thus dismal public investment in research and development in Science and Technology (S & T) is among the reasons cited why the Philippines, once considered the region’s second strongest economy, now lags behind many of its neighbors. Many Filipino scientists and engineers have joined the exodus of talent overseas, as our weak industry is not able to provide enough jobs and has no need for Research and Development (R & D).

What is the state of S & T in the country? What are the main problems and challenges faced by the S & T community and how can these be addressed? How should we measure scientific productivity and technological innovation and how can these be harnessed and integrated into national development strategies? The discussions in this panel will address these questions and suggest a way forward.

Fourth Day – February 4, 2010, Thursday

Morning

Session 10: Confronting Trade, Markets, and Regulation (Dean Marvic M.V.F.

Leonen, College of Law, University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Dr. Maria Joy V. Abrenica

School of Economics, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Rene E. Ofreneo

School of Labor and Industrial Relations, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dean Marvic M.V.F. Leonen

College of Law, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Panel Abstract

Our economic reality is constantly shaped by rules-based systems. This is true at the global level through formal treaties such as those within the World Trade Organization or those that create new preferential trade agreements. This is also true at the local level through constitutional provisions, statutes and regulations. How the next administration will intervene at the global and the domestic level to facilitate or address the weaknesses of “market forces” will continue to shape the lives of all Philippine societies.

The panel will explore issues relating to how the Philippines may, internationally or domestically, relate to the market. It discusses various frameworks and questions which the next administration may have to deal with.

Session 11: Philippine Foreign Relations (Dr. Eduardo T. Gonzalez, Asian Center,

University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Former Dean Aileen S.P. Baviera

Asian Center, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Prof. Herman Joseph S. Kraft

Department of Political Science, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Panel Abstract

In the past, Philippine foreign policy has, at times, been criticized as reactive and lacking a strategic framework to guide the definition of the nation’s interests and goals. The current fluidity of the international environment makes it imperative that a policy assessment be conducted with the end in view of helping re-define many of our key interests in relation to this environment, and examining critical interventions for policy makers to undertake. This panel hopes to make an important contribution in identifying challenges as well as opportunities, especially in key issues arising from US primacy, human security, regional integration trends, and the emergence of new Asian powers China and India.

Afternoon

Session 12: Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction: Trends, Challenges,

Lessons, and Response Options (Prof. Lenore P. Dela Cruz, College of Social Work

and Community Development, University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Dean Antonio G. M. La Viña

Ateneo School of Government, Ateneo de Manila University,

Dr. Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay

National Institute of Geological Sciences, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Emmanuel M. Luna

College of Social Work and Community Development, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Panel Abstract

Over the last decade, the Philippines ranked 10thin the Global Climate Risk Index. Without doubt, climate change is one of the most important challenges to social development and human security of our time. One of the impacts of climate change is the increasing frequency and intensity of weather-related disasters such as tropical cyclones, floods and droughts. Evidence suggests that the impact of climate change will be felt first and hardest by the poor. Disasters bring about loss of lives, damage to properties and other assets, and costly reversals of development gains. This makes climate change and disaster risk reduction a strategic economic and moral imperative for the Philippines. The panel presentations will argue that addressing this imperative requires multi-dimensional, multi-disciplinary, multi-scale and multi-stakeholder responses at the policy, program and practice levels.

Fifth Day – February 5, 2010, Friday

Morning

Session 13: Addressing Impunity (Prof. Theodore O. Te, College of Law, University of

the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Former President Francisco Nemenzo

University of the Philippines

Former Dean Raul C. Pangalangan

College of Law, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Rep. Lorenzo R. Tanada III

Chair of the House Committee on Human Rights, House of Representatives

Prof. Ibarra M. Gutierrez III

College of Law, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Panel Abstract

This panel will address the culture of impunity that has prevailed in the country with extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of media practitioners and political activists.

While not losing focus on the high incidences of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances during this administration, a historical examination of our nation’s experience with impunity will also be made in the hope that we may learn from the past to truly chart a meaningful future. More than just being a discussion on legal remedies, the panel will identify causes of impunity, weaknesses in political, judicial, and even social structures that allow the culture of impunity to flourish. Practical as well as urgent changes to law, policy and practice that address impunity will be put forward.

Session 14: Elections and How to Choose Leaders (Dean Alex B. Brillantes Jr.,

National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines-

Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Former Dean Jose V. Abueva

National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Prof. Leonor M. Briones

National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Ebinezer R. Florano

National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Edna E.A. Co

National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Panel Abstract

Reforms in governance have always been considered primordial if we are to address the pervasive problem of poverty and improve the lives of our people. The discussion and debates on what reforms to undertake have become more relevant and heated with the coming election of leaders of the country at the national and local levels. More specifically, from a public administration and governance perspective, reforms must be targeted and implemented at three levels: institutions, behavior and leadership.

Indeed, it is imperative to reform institutions. Institutional reforms include reforming structures, processes, procedures, including the electoral process. Governance reforms must also include a long term and comprehensive agenda to change the paradigm mindsets, behavior and even value system of the actors in governance, be they in government, the private sector or even civil society. Finally, governance reforms also must include reforms in leadership.

Conventionally, the traditional manner by which leaders are chosen is through elections. The whole question here is how have elections worked – or not worked – in the Philippine context. And what kinds of leaders have emerged from the conventional electoral processes. Consistent with the abovementioned framework, and proceeding from leadership as a handle, the discussions emphasize reforms in institutions and processes and paradigms. More specifically, the panel will also address proposed reforms in the electoral process, which operationalizes a major principle of governance, that of participation. It will also address proposed reforms in the demand side of the electoral process, specifically in terms of educating the citizenry and changing their paradigms that serve as the basis for the selection of leaders, at the national and local levels.

Afternoon

Session 15: Labor–Revisiting Constitutional Guarantees (Prof. Patricia R.P.S.

Daway, College of Law, College of Law, University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Prof. Patricia R.P. Salvador Daway

College of Law, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Faculty Regent Judy M. Taguiwalo

University of the Philippines-Diliman

Former Dean Merlin M. Magallona

College of Law, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dep. Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac

Ateneo de Manila Law School, Ateneo de Manila University

Panel Abstract

The constitutional provisions on Social Justice and Human Rights guarantee seven cardinal rights to workers. In theory, these rights afford full protection to workers but the question of enforcement remains. Are these rights a reality or a mere illusion? The panel thus proposes to examine these rights vis-à-vis their actual application in the workplace. Highlighting issues and concerns raised by workers in selected industries, the employer sector’s level of compliance with national legislation concerning workers’ rights will be reexamined.

The panel will then look into labor policy reforms for the 21st century, in the light of labor market realities and reshaping of the world of work, focusing on labor relations and contractualization. Finally, the panel will explore some problems arising from the context of the global migration processes. These problems are viewed in their interrelation with the country’s foreign policy as a whole.

Synthesis by the Chief Rapporteurs (Dr. Maria Cynthia Rose Banzon-Bautista,

Department of Sociology, University of the Philippines-Diliman

and

Dr. Maria Serana I. Diokno, Department of History, University of the Philippines-

Diliman)

Closing Remarks by Chancellor Sergio S. Cao, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Sponsors

Office of the President, University of the Philippines

Office of the Chancellor, University of the Philippines

College of Law

College of Engineering

College of Science

College of Social Sciences and Philosophy

College of Social Work and Community Development

National College of Public Administration and Governance

School of Economics

Asian Center

Center for Integrative and Development Studies

Center for Women’s Studies

Diliman Interactive Learning Center

Institute of Islamic Studies

Third World Studies Center


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