Text by Cherry Madrideo with inputs from Asst. Prof. Caselyn Morada and Design, Publicity, and Documentation—UPM Faculty Conference 2025 Steering Committee
Photos by Sarah Hazel Moces Pulumbarit and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Aiming to inspire faculty and administrators to embody the University’s core principles of honor, excellence, and service in their personal and professional growth, the UP Manila Conference 2025 was held at the Philippine International Convention Center on March 20-21, 2025, featuring distinguished and expert speakers and resource persons.
Spearheaded by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the conference, themed “Transforming Paradigms in the 21st Century,” continued to strengthen and enrich the skills of the faculty to address the needs of its learners, contribute to community development, and positively impact the nation as it fulfills UP’s mandate to serve the needs and aspirations of the Filipino people. It hopes to foster a renewed commitment to the teaching profession, champion educational excellence, cultivate socially responsible leadership, and equip faculty with strategies to enhance their well-being and resilience in meeting the demands of academia and nation-building through engaging plenary sessions, practical parallel sessions, and meaningful networking activities.
College of Allied Medical Professions Dean Esmerita Rotor served as the host and moderator of the two-day conference.
Embracing Honor, Excellence, and Service in the 21st Century
In her welcome address, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Heizel Manapat-Reyes recounted how the conference almost did not happen due to setbacks with the venue. The perseverance to push through the event is a testament to UP Manila’s ability to adapt to difficult circumstances. Much like its long history of enduring adversity, from World War II to the pandemic, its mission to teach and serve remains steadfast.
VC Reyes, the Steering Committee’s chairperson, hoped that the conference would inspire faculty members to renew their commitment to their calling as educators. She further reminded the participants, “What we do is a vocation best lived with integrity and the continuing work of ensuring that what we create will be better than what we have been handed down.”
Meanwhile, Chancellor Michael Tee highlighted the role of UP Manila in contributing to the national development and the vision of a healthier nation as outlined in AmBisyon 2040 and the need to adopt organizational ecosystem thinking to recognize that teaching, research, and public service are interconnected.
Chancellor Tee announced UP Manila’s recent achievements in world rankings–ranked 479th and the only country representative for the top 500 in the US News Best Global University Ranking for 2024-2025, 114th best in Global Universities in Asia, and 202nd in Clinical Medicine–reinforcing the fundamental need to partner with more state and colleges, take on leadership roles within them, and guide them toward a future where they are among the top 500 universities in the country. This goal can be achieved if UP Manila creates an environment where its faculty succeed, as their success leads to UP Manila’s success.
A Call to Action
UP President Angelo Jimenez, the conference’s keynote speaker, underscored the importance of humility, kindness, and service. He stressed that to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UP must put forward global humanitarian values, as only 70% of the SDGs have been achieved since its establishment.
As Atty. Jimenez highlighted UP’s legacy and responsibility for the future, he drew inspiration from UP’s founders, recalling their vision of a university that caters to the Filipinos’ aspirations. He called on the academic community to reimagine the university’s role in addressing the global challenges of the 21st century as he highlighted the necessity to adapt to modern realities and strategically rethink UP’s role in higher education and research.
Finally, he delivered a compelling call to action to reimagine the university and adopt a network approach where UP builds a community within the global context.
Safeguarding Education through Faculty Support and General Education Protection
Faculty Regent Early Sol Gadong shared that she initially felt apprehensive in UP Manila as she felt intimidated by it. However, her perspective shifted over time as she developed a sense of security, recognizing the university as a home to selfless doctors, accessible leadership, and a strong commitment to democratic governance.
Prof. Gadong acknowledged the challenges faced by the School of Health Sciences faculty for its lack of plantilla positions but commended UP Manila for its proactive programs and its administration’s efforts to address its faculty’s needs.
Finally, she cautioned against reducing the general education (GE) core courses of the UP curriculum, stressing their importance in shaping both students and faculty.
Leading with Excellence in UP’s Drive for Inclusive and World-Class Education
Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan affirmed UP’s commitment to honor, excellence, and service by ensuring a democratized and high-quality education. Despite admitting only 2% of the country’s students, UP receives a 20-25% budget due to its national centers, top-tier faculty, and laboratory facilities.
Dr. Cubillan declared that UP remains at the forefront of academic and scientific contributions, ensuring that research efforts and faculty-led initiatives are being prioritized with a budget of up to a billion pesos. He emphasized that, as a national university, UP carries a unique responsibility to lead the country in education, research, and service.
While the UP system ranks among the top 500 in the world for QS rankings, only UP Manila has qualified in the US News Best Global University Rankings. To transform paradigms in the 21st century, UP must continue to provide quality but accessible education across and beyond the country through transnational programs, new campuses, and smart classrooms.
Plenary Talks and Parallel Sessions
The conference, focused on building a resilient and healthy mindset for educators in the face of rapid changes, featured plenary sessions followed by interactive Q&A and parallel discussions diving deeper into specific topics such as digital education, artificial intelligence, and quality assurance at UPM.
Plenary Talk 1| Honor: Exemplifying Honor Through Teaching highlighted how teaching as a profession reflects our value of honor. By emphasizing the university’s leadership role in education and its impact on nation-building, the main speaker and reactors sought to boost the morale of the faculty and reignite their passion for teaching and inspiring learners.
Prof. Evangeline Amor, former Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, served as
the speaker while Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Ma. Theresa Payongayong and Asst. Prof. Ignatius Hinzons of the UP Manila College of Arts and Sciences acted as reactors.
There were three parallel sessions for Plenary Talk 1. UP Manila Learning Resource Center Director Miguel Antonio Catalig; Program Chairperson Marissa Fearnly of the Bachelor in Holistic Disciplines, School of Multidisciplinary Studies at the De La Salle-College of St. Benilde; Instructor Gabriella Isabel Tablante of the UP College of Allied Medical Professions; and Asst. Prof. Samuel Brando Piamonte of the UP College of Arts and Sciences served as moderators and speakers in Parallel Session 1A—From Lecture Hall to the Laptop: Fostering Honor Online.
Parallel Session 1B—Simulation and Honor: Ensuring Authentic Learning Experiences, was headed by panelists Dr. Maria Julieta Germar of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UP College of Medicine; Asst. Prof. Aldin Gaspar of the UP College of Nursing; Assoc. Prof. Jocelyn Christina Marzan of the UP College of Allied Medical Professions; and Dr. Filedito Tandinco of the UP School of Health Sciences.
Parallel Session 1C—Scholarly Synergy: Responsible AI Use in Academic Workflows featured four facilitators. They were the Director of the UP Interactive Learning Center, Dr. Iris Thiele Isip-Tan; Dr. Lisa Traboco and Dr. Michael Fong of UP Health Informatics; and Assoc. Prof. Geoffrey Solano of the UP College of Arts and Sciences.
Plenary Talk 2 | Excellence: Strengthening the Culture of Quality and Its Practice in the University sought to inspire and motivate the participants to continuously strive for excellence in teaching, research, and service. The main speaker and reactors discussed quality assurance and its impact on institutional recognition of excellence. In this session, participants were encouraged to be active contributors and collaborators in quality assurance mechanisms and position themselves as champions of educational excellence within and beyond the institution.
Prof. Cynthia Banzon-Bautista, a member of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), a former commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and a former vice president for Academic Affairs functioned as the plenary speaker. Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Quality Assurance) Alyssa Peleo-Alampay and Dr. Christian Wilson Turalde took the role as reactors.
There were likewise three parallel sessions for Plenary Talk 2. Parallel Session 2A—Quality Reimagined: The Classroom and Beyond was facilitated by Prof. Emerita Rosario Rubite and Asst. Prof. Mishima Miciano of the UP Manila College of Arts and Sciences; Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Quality Assurance) Alyssa Peleo-Alampay; and Quality Assurance Officer Analyn Codilan of the UP Los Baňos College of Forestry.
UP College of Medicine Dean Charlotte Chiong, UP College of Nursing Dean Sheila Bonito, UP Manila Director of International and Local Linkages Vivien Fe Fadrilan-Camacho, UP Los Baňos Director of International Linkages Anna Floresca Firmalino, Prof. Maria Eliza Aguila of the UP College of Allied Medical Professions, Asst. Prof. Julienne Ivan Soberano of UP College of Nursing, and Jon Mikael Alea, a UP BA Political Science alumnus and two-time MOVE-UP grantee at the Hokkaido University, were the seven speakers at the Parallel Session 2B—Education Without Borders.
Parallel Session 2C—Creating Tomorrow Today featured Dr. Maria Llaine Callanta and Dr. Agnes Soriano-Estrella of the College of Medicine as speakers.
In the Plenary Talk 3 | Service: Harnessing Influence as a UP Faculty, institutional value of service is described in two points of view—service to the university as a faculty and service to the nation. The session highlighted the role of educators in shaping the future of the nation through their commitment to teaching and community service. Furthermore, the session aimed to inspire the participants to nurture socially responsible graduates who will create equitable and inclusive communities.
Professor Emerita Maria Serena Diokno, former vice president for Academic Affairs and former chair of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, delivered the first point of view of the plenary talk. The second point of view was discussed by Dr. Bernadette Madrid, executive director of Child Protection Network Foundation, Inc., and the head of the Philippine General Hospital Child Protection Unit.
The speakers for Parallel Session 3A—Educators as Co-Creators of Universal Health Care were National Teacher Training Center for the Health Professions Dean Maria Elizabeth Grageda and Assistant Regional Director Pretchell Tolentino of the Center for Health and Development of the Department of Health, Ilocos.
For Parallel Session 3B—Demystifying Microcredentials in Higher Education, Mapua President Reynaldo Vea, former dean of the UP College of Engineering; UP Open University Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria; and Prof. Erlyn Sana of the National Teacher Training Center for the Health Professions functioned as the panelists.Plenary Talk 4| Fostering Well-Being was a value-added component in the conference. This plenary session recognized the importance of maintaining the faculty members’ well-being in the course of their duties and responsibilities. The concept of faculty resilience as it applies to the university demands will be tackled. This session focused on ways to endure, persevere, and grow stronger in response to the challenges of the academe. Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Faculty Development) Jose Antonio Clemente took on the role as the sole speaker for this talk.
Well-Being, Fun, and Camaraderie
The Faculty Well-Being Expo featured wellness booths, health awareness displays, and educational games from the different UP Manila colleges.
The Socials and Fellowship Night offered the faculty and administrators a night of performances and entertainment from their talented colleagues. There were raffles, free photobooths, and fun games with prizes.
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