Polytechnic University of the Philippines

San Juan city government signs partnership with PUP

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 15:52:00 GMT

Emy Ruth Gianan, News, Communication Management Office

Sintang Paaralan is intent on expanding its reach across the local government sector. Last March 17, the University signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Academic Cooperation with the City Government of San Juan. Honorable Mayor Francisco Javier M. Zamora led the the ceremony, alongside PUP President, Dr. Manuel M. Muhi held at the city hall.

“Nais kong magpasalamat sa PUP sa tulong na binibigay nila sa San Juan, gusto natin yung ating workforce ay nakakatanggap ng maayos na edukasyon at makakatulong upang mapabuti nila ang kanilang paglilingkod sa lungsod ng San Juan. Napakalaking tulong po ng PUP sa ating lungsod, sa ating mga mag-aaral, at ngayon, sa ating mga kawani,” Mayor Zamora shared in his speech.

(“We are grateful to PUP for all the assistance they have extended to the City of San Juan. We envision a workforce that is empowered with quality education, which would then enrich the kind of public service they render to our constituents. PUP is indeed a blessing to our city, to our students, and now, to our local government employees,” Mayor Zamora shared in his speech.)

The agreement called for the creation of and collaboration on extension projects between the two public agencies. PUP will also be offering undergraduate and graduate studies program for the professional growth and development of San Juan City employees. These are underscored in two (2) separate agreements, one covers short courses offered at the Main Campus, while the other one expands scholarship programs and engagements with the San Juan Campus.

Mayor Zamora also expressed his vision to expand the programs available at the San Juan Campus, one of which is for Nursing. He intends to use this as a springboard to strategically support San Juan Medical Center, the local government’s main public hospital.

“Kami po sa PUP ay taus pusong sumusuporta sa partnership na ito. Makakakaasa po kayo na kami ay bukas lagi upang tumulong sa mga kasama natin sa San Juan. Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat!” Dr. Muhi shared during the signing ceremony.

(“PUP is wholeheartedly supporting this enduring partnership with San Juan City. Our doors are always open to assist our fellow public servants from the city government of San Juan. Thank you very much!” Dr. Muhi shared during the signing ceremony.)

Aside from President Muhi, Vice President for Research, Extension, Planning, and Development (VPREPD) Dr. Anna Ruby P. Gapasin and Vice President for Branches and Satellite Campuses (VPBSC) Prof. Pascualito B. Gatan joined the momentous activity. Representatives also include Prof. Roseller Malabanan, Assistant to the VPBSC; Dr. Rolan J. Malvar Director of the Extension Management Office (EMO); Prof. Edgardo Delmo, Director of PUP San Jua; Dr. Carmencita L. Castolo, Executive Director of the Open University System (OUS); Dr. Henry B. Prudente, Chief of Extension and Community Linkages Center; Asst. Prof. Raquel A. Arevalo Chief of the Extension Support Center; and Mr. John Amiel A. Rivera, Extension Management Cluster Coordinator.

Atty. Dennis Ernesto Ruiz, Head of the City Human Resource Development Office, joined Mayor Zamora during the signing ceremony. The whole activity was livestreamed via the city’s official Facebok Page.

_{Photo source: Ceremonial Signing of Memorandum of Understanding with Mayor Francis Zamora. (2023, March 17). John Amiel Rivera Facebook Post. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=6412635852104512&set=pcb.6412636972104400}

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Varsity debate reps clinch top spots in Philippine Science Open 2023

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 15:13:00 GMT

Jantzen Eros Mengala, News, PUP School of Debaters

Among 65 teams in the tournament, the contingents from PUP School of Debaters (SOD) took the 13th place besting teams from all over the country in the first Philippine Science Open (PSO) in March 3-5, 2023. A pair of debaters and one adjudicator represented the university in this national tournament.

Jeggo Regis, fourth year Marketing Management student and Rovelyn Generalao, a sophomore student majoring in Political Science, competed under the Team Name ‘PUP Tidy Rawr Rawr.’ Despite having a limited time to train as finals commenced alongside their preparation for the tournament, the team clinched another win. Regis clinched the Overall Best Speaker award, and Generalao was hailed as the Fifth Best Open Speaker. Meanwhile, Robert Umayam, a second-year Secondary Education (English) student, competed for the first time as a judge contingent.

“Critical thinking and strong speaking skills are some of the important traits we want to develop among our students. Congratulations to our varsity debate team for clinching this win. We’re looking forward to future achievements in the field of competitive debating, who knows, our next win may be in the international arena,” President Manuel Muhi shared in an email interview.

Competition experience
“You are only good as your last debate -- this is the mantra we live by as competitive debaters. I think this is also a good metric for our academic and professional performances. Debating shaped my outlook and I am proud that our students continue that tradition -- of ceaselessly sharpening their skills and wit by joining competitions. We win, we lose, but always, we go home smarter and much better because we learn something good and new from these activities,” Dr. Sanjay Claudio, adviser of the School Debaters, shared in a text message. A former debater in his college years, he expressed his elation and also congratulated the team for this feat.

The students also shared their happy experience in the competition. Generalao was particularly excited during the case preparation -- a short period before the actual debate where speakers are expected to build their arguments and anticipate the case of the opposing side. She added that debate competitions such as these pushed her to expand her knowledge and read up things, they were not usually familiar with. “Matterloading” or studying various topics that may come up in competitive debates, when done strategically, could be a powerful weapon for a competitive debater.

“Interesting trying to talk about matters of science through a subjective lens and it’s a positive experience as we were able to extrapolate very interesting ideas in the lens of science. I think we were able to execute; our strategy was solid throughout the four rounds. We get to break, so that’s good,” Regis says about his experience in the tournament.

For Umayam who competed as an adjudicator, competitions are platforms to learn and represent the university well. He adds that “It’s never my first time competing as an adj in a debate tournament and as always, I need to perform the crucial duty of being able to give the correct calls with the most constructive justification you can build within the limited given time you have.”

PSO is an online debating event hosted by Larynx Debate Society and Flux Debate Society of De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute. With core adjudicators from the field of sciences namely Justin Guda (UP Diliman), Rivaldo Aquino (Ateneo De Manila University), Raffy Perez (UP Manila), and Giovanni Vallejo (Ateneo de Davao University), PSO aims to highlight the “issues of sciences and all its fields.”

SOD is the university-wide public speaking organization in the campus with over 85 members from various colleges. With an intensive apprenticeship process upon membership, SOD sends its best contingents to different tournaments hosted by local and international institutions. The tournaments and events do not just serve as platforms to discuss the issues of today, but also serve as networks to help connect PUP students to the global debating community.

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Bio grads are now registered microbiologists

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 16:02:00 GMT

Emy Ruth Gianan, News, Communication Management Office

Two (2) recent graduates of the University’s Biology Program – Microbiology Track passed the Philippine Academy for Microbiologist Examination for Registered Microbiologists. Sharish Anne S. Tarnate and Ma. Melanie Dalaine Carnaje successfully hurdled the grueling examinations held last January 20-21, 2023. They were joined by 55 other passers from other universities and colleges. Full list of results may be found in this link.

“This is indeed wonderful news to the PUP community. Our microbiology track is still new, but we are already seeing the fruits of excellence of our graduates. Congratulations to the College of Science, especially to our Biology Department. More importantly, my sincerest congratulations to our registered microbiologists, Sharish and Melanie, you make our university proud,” Dr. Manuel Muhi stated in his message.

Tarnate and Carnaje are trailblazers – they are the first registered microbiologists among PUP graduates. As soon as this specialization track was offered in 2018, the Core Faculty of the Microbiology track wasted no time in expanding its network of collaborators and supporters. They’re working closely with the Microbiology Consortium of the Philippines (MCP) organized by the Philippine Academy of Microbiologists (PAM). They have also been actively joining trainings and seminars, research conferences for students, and mentorship programs.

“Microbiology is a unique field of studies. Studying microbiology opens the door in studying the minute group of organisms that cannot be seen by the naked eye but are equally important to the higher forms of life. Being diverse group of organisms, many of the interesting species are not well studied and remain unexplored. Hence the potential to uncover many species is very possible,” Dr. Lourdes V. Alvarez, Rmicro and a Core Faculty for the Microbiology Track shared in an email interview.

She shared that students are keen to study microbiology because of its potential advantage in employment opportunities, in pursuing further medical studies, and in expanding their laboratory experience. Aside from Microbiology, the BS Biology program of the University is also offering two (2) other specialization tracks for its students: Plant Biology, and Animal Biology. This has been offered since a curriculum revision in 2018.

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BIR recognizes PUP as one of top taxpayers in revenue district

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 15:57:00 GMT

Emy Ruth Gianan, News, Communication Management Office

Sintang Paaralan has recently been recognized as one of the Top 25 Taxpayers in Revenue Region No. 6 of the City of Manila, as stated in a Certificate of Appreciation personally awarded by representatives of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Revenue District Office No. 32. Atty. Gina S. Basilio, Revenue District Officer, led the delegation in awarding the said certificate to PUP officials last February 22, 2023.

“As the Vice President for Finance of this University, I felt very honored and grateful for another recognition given to PUP. It is a greater fulfillment to the Finance Sector as BIR recognizes our administration’s and employees’ efforts in complying with the national regulations and policies regarding tax remittance. We in the Finance sector are humbled by this recognition as it inspires us to continue to put efforts into our objectives to promote quality service that will benefit the whole institution,” Vice President Marisa J. Legaspi shared in an email interview.

VP Legaspi heads the university’s Finance Sector and joined University President, Dr. Manuel M. Muhi in receiving the award. She explained the importance of paying and remitting our institution’s taxes on time as part of our compliance with legal mandates, saying that “the university always makes efforts to ensure that we comply with these government policies.”

This is the first time that the University received such form of recognition from BIR, and as such, a first for the university to be cited for its efforts in supporting the government’s tax campaign.

Other BIR officers present during the awarding include Raymond Gamboa and Alecson Urfilla, Revenue Officers; Milca Matute, Group Supervisor, and Lani Gameng, Chief of the Assessment Section. The Office of the Vice President for Finance hosted the short awarding visit.

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CHS and Escuela Taller join hands for heritage conservation research

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 14:45:00 GMT

Emy Ruth Gianan, News, Communication Management Office

A ceremonial signing sealed the partnership between the University’s Center for Heritage Studies (CHS) and training center Escuela Taller de Filipinas Foundation, Inc. (ETFFI) last February 27 at the Mateo Conference Room. Assistant to the Vice President for Research, Extension, Planning, and Development (AVPREPD) Dr. Angelina E. Borican led the PUP delegation, while Executive Director Arch. Carmen Bettina Silao-Bulaong represented ETFFI in this ceremony.

“Nais ko pong iparating na natutuwa ang ating mga executive officials sa collaborative project na ito… Isa sa mga thrusts ng university ay makatulong sa research sa iba pang stakeholders. Ang PUP, being a polytechnic university, maraming skills at expertise na gusto naming linangin sa aming mga estudyante at faculty. Through that ay makatulong din sa society. Masaya kami dahil maraming opportunities for partnership. Sana hindi po ito ang huling project na pagsasamahan natin,” Dr. Borican said on behalf of Vice President for Research, Extension, Planning, and Development (VPREPD) Anna Ruby P. Gapasin.

[“Our executive officials are excited for this collaborative project… Research is one of the important thrusts of the university and we are keen on producing outputs that would help our stakeholders. PUP, as a polytechnic university, is keen on honing the skills and expertise of our students and faculty. Through this, we believe we can contribute positive developments to the society. We are elated with the many opportunities underscored in this partnership. We hope that this would only be the start of many more collaborations between our organizations,” Dr. Borican said on behalf of Vice President for Research, Extension, Planning, and Development (VPREPD) Anna Ruby P. Gapasin.]

In her response speech, Arch. Silao-Bulaong reciprocated the excitement and expressed gratefulness to the university for trusting their institution.

“Escuela Taller partners no less with state universities in our country. We know that we can really count on the knowledge and experience of your faculty and staff. Kami naman po kasi, we are in the industry, we are the ones on the ground. We do experience a lot of problems in bridging the gap between theory and research. Yung practice ng heritage work dito sa bansa ay medyo bago pa. We are really glad na meron kayong Center, very few institutions have been able to put up such a center for research. I think doon po talaga makakatulong ang PUP sa industry. We are really hoping we can further the practice of heritage conservation in our country,” she stated.

[“Escuela Taller partners no less with state universities in our country. We know that we can really count on the knowledge and experience of your faculty and staff. We in the industry, we are the ones on the ground. We do experience a lot of problems in bridging the gap between theory and research. The practice of heritage work here in the country is still nascent. We are really glad that PUP has a Center because very few institutions have been able to put up such a center for research. I think this is where PUP would significantly help the industry. We are really hoping we can further the practice of heritage conservation in our country,” she stated.]

The partnership will focus on heritage conservation research, focusing on the perspectives of niche heritage workers and their involvement in this evolving creative industry. To a certain extent, the research will also examine the socio-economic conditions that influence heritage conservation work in the Philippines using ongoing construction projects managed by Escuela Taller.

CHS Chief Rosemarie Roque hosted the signing ceremony. Institute for Human and Social Development (IHSD) Director Dr. Nicolas Mallari also graced the activity. He also expressed his support for this research project adding that “it is not only important that we are able to publish. It is equally important to make a difference on the lives of many people.” Project researchers present include Prof. Joanna Marie Oliquino, Prof. Jun Rivera, and Prof. Stanley Gullab. Witnessing on behalf of ETFFI is their Communication Officer, Mr. Philip Paraan.

Prior to this engagement, ETFFI has been actively working with the University under its extension program, Salin-Kaalaman Tungo sa Kaunlaran in partnership with the College of Architecture, Built and Design Environment (CADBE). Several PUP graduates have also been working with the training center, deepening the ties between the two institutions.

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PUP Receives Three Star Rating from the QS Stars Rating System

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 10:41:00 GMT

Prof. Alberto Guillo, News, Executive Vice President

Sintang Paaralan received an over-all Three Star rating from the QS Stars university rating system early in February of this year. This effort of the PUP Administration to improve its international recognition and institutional reputation is part of the university’s strategic plan to achieve its vision of becoming the country’s National Polytechnic University (NPU).

“It is our responsibility as a learning institution to continue to improve. We are taking these evaluations constructively to move forward and give our best and most excellent service to our students and stakeholders,” President Manuel Muhi said.

As explained by QS Stars, “(A) university with a Three Star rating is well-recognized nationally and may have also begun to attract international recognition. This institution maintains a reputable level of teaching and its graduates are attractive to employers.”

Further, the QS Three Star Institutions “show potential in achieving international education standards and undertake complex research activities, experimenting with pedagogical teaching.”

The University’s strengths and areas of expertise are recognized with star badges as follows:

5 Stars (Excellent)
• Employability
• Online Learning

4 Stars (Very Good)
• Teaching
• Academic Development
• Inclusiveness

3 Stars (Good)
• Social Responsibility
• Specialist Criteria: Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics (BSND)

Encouraged by these results, the PUP Administration is determined to further improve its performance on its four-plus-one function namely: instruction, research, extension and production + internationalization by revisiting its institutional development plan with the view to crafting a more focused internationalization program that will seize the best opportunities for personal and professional growth of its community members, especially its students.

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CoEd awarded for October 2022 LET performance

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 19:46:00 GMT

Paul Marcine C. Dayog, News, Communication Management Office

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) awarded the College of Education (CoEd) of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP)-Main Campus for its exemplary performance during the last October 2022 Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (LEPT).

The recognition was given last January 28, during the Oathtaking Ceremony for the new LPTs held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Pasay City.

With 93.26% passing percentage with 89 examinees, PUP-CoEd was recognized for being the Fourth Best Performing School in the Elementary level. On behalf of the college, the award was received by the CoEd Associate Dean Dr. Caroline T. Sumande and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESED) Chairperson Dr. Daizylyn C. Palillo.

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EMO launches Extension and Outreach Orientation Caravan to PUP Branches and Campuses

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 14:10:00 GMT

Elaine Carie A. Andres, News, Extension Management Office

The Extension and Outreach Orientation Caravan, organized by the Extension Management Office (EMO), was launched in January to further impact and improve the lives of numerous communities.

The caravan was led by Dr. Rolan J. Malvar, Director of Extension Management Office, and extension leaders Dr. Henry B. Prudente (Extension and Community Linkages), Asst. Prof. Zenaida S. Bonaobra (Monitoring and Evaluation), Asst. Prof. Raquel Arevalo (Extension Support), Asst. Prof. Airavie Joy DR Austria (Community Relations and Outreach Services), and a designated extension management cluster coordinator.

The orientation caravan will last five (5) calendar months, ending in May 2023. Each focal person for a specific branch or school reports on the initiatives and activity extension plan for their target beneficiaries. This activity will discuss the challenges and concerns associated with the processing of an extension program or project proposal from planning through post-implementation.

In addition, EMO officials discussed the 2022 Extension and Community Outreach accomplishments before disseminating guidelines and policies for conducting internally and externally funded programs/projects.

The EMO will continue to empower the PUP community through the operation of this orientation caravan in order to establish and achieve a shared vision of sustainable development.

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Faculty from PUP QC wins Best Paper in ICMSS

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 16:45:00 GMT

Melanie Jimenez, News, Communication Management Office

Asst. Prof. Melanie F. Bactasa of PUP Quezon City earned Best Paper Presentation at the International Conference on Management and Social Sciences (ICMSS) 2022 organized by The Core Research Foundation. The conference was held in a hybrid format (online and in person) last December 28-29, 2022, in Bangkok, Thailand.

The research titled “Stakeholders’ Feedback on the Implementation of Flexible Technology-Enhanced Learning: A Case Study”, garnered the highest score (27/30) based on the technicalities, presentation, and literature criteria.

The conference was co-organized by Association of Researchers of Thailand, and the International Organization of Educators and Researchers Inc., a CPD provider recognized by the Philippine Regulation Commission (PRC).

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CHK conducts CNA to ICAN Center for Children PH

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 15:24:00 GMT

Elaine Carie A. Andres, News, Extension Management Cluster Coordinator 7

The College of Human Kinetics (CHK) conducted a community needs assessment last January 19, 2023 to ICAN Center for Children Philippines at San Mateo, Rizal, a non-governmental organization who shelters abandoned children.

The activity was spearheaded by the college Dean, Assoc. Prof. Lualhati A. Dela Cruz, and the chairpersons, Dr. Melchor M. De Guzman (Department of Professional Program), and Dr. Ferdie T. Lubis (Department of Service PE). The team consisted of a selected faculty member, Extension Management Office (EMO) cluster coordinators, and a volunteer student.

The team met Ms. Mary Ann Trero and Mr. Melvin Serrano, both of whom work as social workers for ICAN Child Care Center. A briefing was held prior to the team conducting a survey with sixteen (16) children, which was followed by an initial workshop through games.

This is one of many extension activities conducted by the CHK in hopes of addressing issues that involve the children and the education sector.

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