Text by: Angelou C. Mendoza

Photo by: Joseph A. Bautista

Project leaders and staff actively participated during the workshop session on the second day of Project Leaders’ Summit at Henry Sy, Sr. Hall, UP College of Medicine. This workshop enabled the participants to cultivate their knowledge on the research project matters discussed on the first day of the Summit.

The University of the Philippines Manila (UP Manila), known for its valuing of research and pursuit of project development adaptive to the needs of Filipinos especially in the field of health, continues to uphold the vision of the administration in persistent discovery and research with its experts leading in the health sector and accessible leadership that is inclusive, responsive, and engaging to its community. 

This was the guiding standard of the Project Leaders’ Summit held on June 25, 2024 at the Henry Sy Sr. Hall Building.

“This activity is actually true to the meaning of a summit, which is a gathering of leaders and achievements. There are a significant number of proposals to be endorsed to the following agencies, currently there are 899 from UP Manila, 137 from the NIH (National Institutes of Health), and 612 from the PGH (Philippine General Hospital) [which are] on-going projects. And [with regard] to the UP System, UP Manila has actually been the pioneer in the establishment of the IRB (Institutional Review Board) and a Research Grants Administration Office (RGAO),” Vice Chancellor for Research Leslie Michelle M. Dalmacio said.  

She proudly mentioned the existence of a well-established Research Ethics Board (REB), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), Institutional Biosafety and Biosecurity Committee (IBBC), and Publication Assistance Committee as UP Manila’s support to the researchers from pre-implementation to post-implementation of their respective research projects.

UP Manila Chancellor Michael L. Tee put emphasis on his vision for UP Manila through “IDEA”: Innovation for Life-long learning Dedicated to Service, Discovery and Research, Environment that Nurtures our Mind and Body, and Accessible UP Leadership. The Chancellor tasked the Summit to fulfill the vision of Discovery and Research and Accessible UP Leadership with the researches and projects of UP Manila’s leading experts facilitating the creation of new knowledge, policies, and thrust for product development. 

After acknowledging the presence and contribution of the project staff, the Chancellor introduced the evaluation of individual project staff which aims to come up with a positive list of staff members with excellent evaluation from previously completed projects who will be endorsed to another research project appointment. The said evaluation will be anchored from the project leader’s evaluation and reports from RGAO which must include the list of previous projects, staff evaluation, and the project evaluation. This project staff evaluation will push through as a policy and is planned to be implemented in 2025. This initiative will help the project staff maintain a good record for possible future employment in other projects and units, and will also aid in the thorough compliance with administrative matters of the project, ensuring the completion of each. 

“Kaya ito hindi ko sinasabing simula bukas because matututo kayo, maaaralan nyo pa iyan ng husto, and you will have time to improve. It is not in the interest of the University to find fault, it is the interest of this University to find where we are weak and where we can join together, teach everyone, and this is that opportunity,” the Chancellor said. 

The Project Leaders’ Summit also featured the Chief of the Special Projects Division at the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Armela K. Razo, who discussed the Grants in Aid Guidelines of the Department. Ms. Razo explained the mandate, objectives, and processes of approval and fund release, and project renewal of DOST while emphasizing the importance of liquidation of funds granted to the projects. 

Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance Johanna Patricia Adevoso-Cañal underscored the relevant fiscal and administrative policies focusing on the importance of compliance to the Government Procurement Reform Act or Republic Act 9184 and ensuring that other alternative methods of procurement must be approved by the Procurement Management Office (PMO) Chief. Dr. Adevoso-Cañal also focused on the relevance of compliance to the requirements such as Project Procurement Management Plan (PPMP), Line-Item Budget (LIB), Terms of Reference (TOR), liquidation reports, annual reports, and realignment requests. 

Other esteemed speakers and their respective topics on the first day of the Summit were:

• RGAO Director Emerito Jose A. Faraon discussed Research Team Roles and Obligations, delving on the common research team positions (leadership roles and research project staff), with their respective research, and administrative duties. 
• UP Manila Legal Office Director Atty. James Dennis Gumpal gave a talk on pre-implementation documents such as Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), Material Transfer Agreement (MTA), and Clinical Trial Agreement (CTA) which require legal review, turnaround time, and other specific documents that the Legal Officer must vet. 
• Other information pre-implementation documents such as the Project Contract For, Deferment of Implementation, Contract of Service (COS), and Monthly Accomplishment Report were discussed by Sophia Dela Cruz, Patricia Joy Enaje, and Marc Ian Belitor, respectively.
• The lectures on the subtopics of Research Administration Documentation were given by UP Manila Accounting Office Chief Erwin Dando (LIB and Cash Advance policies), RGAO Staff Edelyn Ibe (Closure of completed projects), and RGAO-Accounting staff Kreef Montemar (Travel and fieldwork activities and Kim Calanog on Payment of services). 
• RGAO Staff Angelica Gotoman and Edelyn Ibe talked on post-implementation obligations such as the Terminal Financial Report, Technical Report submissions, and Archiving.
• Procurement Management Office (PMO) Director Melody Rojo discussed procurement processes and procedures of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) 2 and 3, which are more focused on standard competitive biddings. 
• Ryan Oliver C. Alba of RGAO discussed the Administrative and institutional fees in the Research Ethics Board (REB) focusing on the administrative overhead costs or indirect costs and sharing it as research utility fund (RUF), RUF restrictions, and requirements for the utilization of RUF. 

Day Two of the Summit featured workshops and additional lectures: UP Manila Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Lourdes Marie S. Tejero on Intellectual Property,  Atty. James Dennis Gumpal on Consequences of non-compliance to financial obligations, Office of Research Integrity (ORI) Director Jean Anne Toral on Authorship Guidelines, and Dr. Emely Dicolen and Quality Assurance Office (QAO) staff on Operational Procedures and Forms. #