Text by: Charmaine Lingdas
Photos by: Sarah Hazel Moces S. Pulumbarit and January Kanindot
The University of the Philippines Manila recognized faculty members, students, staff, and retirees whose work in education, research, leadership, and public service continues to advance the university’s mission during the Gawad Chancellor and Service Recognition Ceremony on Oct. 27, 2026, at the Henry Sy Sr. Medical Sciences Building.
Held as part of the university’s 44th and 47th Foundation Day celebration, the celebration carried the theme, “Alay ng UP Manila sa Kalusugan ng Bayan: Dangal at Husay, Serbisyo ang Gabay.” The ceremony honored individuals and groups for their achievements and recognized employees whose years of dedicated service have helped advance UP Manila’s mission of serving the Filipino people through excellence and dedicated public service.
Service as the foundation of institutional excellence
UP Manila Chancellor Michael Tee described the ceremony as one of the most meaningful occasions in the university because it brings together recipients of the Gawad Chancellor awards and employees whose long service has helped sustain the institution.
Reflecting on the university’s service awardees, including those who had spent 30, 35, 40, or more years at UP Manila, Chancellor Tee said their decision to remain with the university represented a substantial commitment of their working lives.
“You chose to stay in UP, and you’re giving UP the best years of your lives,” he said, expressing the university’s gratitude for their years of service.
He also linked the university’s achievements to the contributions of its entire community, including students, faculty members, researchers, administrative personnel, and support staff. He emphasized that institutional recognition cannot be separated from the people whose work makes educational, research, and public service achievements possible.
Meanwhile, UP President Angelo A. Jimenez noted that UP Manila’s four decades of institutional development had helped train generations of health professionals, advance scientific knowledge, and bring health care and health-related services closer to communities across the country.
“Institutions are not defined by their beliefs, programs, or achievements alone. They are defined by the people who give them purpose,” Jimenez said in a video message.
Commission on Higher Education Chairperson Shirley Agrupis also recognized UP Manila’s role in strengthening Philippine higher education and advancing the country’s health sciences sector. Her message highlighted the importance of translating university knowledge, expertise, and innovations into meaningful benefits for the Filipino people.
Para kanino nga ba?
Dr. Charlotte Chiong, dean of the UP College of Medicine, framed her address around the question “Para kanino nga ba?” Through three stories from her career, she reflected on how professional excellence, research, and leadership should ultimately serve others.
Her first story focused on bringing scientific advances to Filipino patients. Dean Chiong entered UP Manila as a medical student in 1981 and later pursued specialized training. Her work in cochlear implantation helped establish the procedure in the Philippines, expanding access to treatment for people with profound hearing loss.
Recalling the advice she received to complete her residency in the Philippines before pursuing fellowship training abroad, she said, “Ang husay ay hindi nagmamadali. Ito ay hinuhubog.”
Dean Chiong recounted the first two cochlear implant operations performed in the Philippines in October 1998. One patient was a 12-year-old student who lost his hearing after contracting measles, while the other was a medical student from Cebu with an inner-ear malformation. Their cases demonstrated how specialized treatment could transform lives and open opportunities for education and social participation.
She also emphasized early hearing screening to support children’s speech development. When the hospital lacked equipment for hearing research and screening, she allocated 10% of her professional practice income to help purchase a machine for the university. Her work also contributed to newborn hearing screening policies and services.
Dean Chiong highlighted HELE: Hearing for Life, an initiative involving a locally developed Automated Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR) screener through a partnership between the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) and UP Manila. The technology aims to expand newborn hearing screening in rural and urban communities, helping more children access early detection and intervention.
These efforts, she stressed, depended on collaboration among health professionals, researchers, hospital administrators, and other partners.
“Hindi naman mahirap mangarap. Pero hindi po ito nagagawa ng isang tao lamang,” she said, underscoring the importance of collective effort.
Her second story focused on research and its impact on healthcare. Dean Chiong urged researchers to translate findings into practical improvements rather than stop at publication.
“Ang pananaliksik ay hindi nagtatapos sa publikasyon,” she said, emphasizing multidisciplinary collaboration to improve care and expand access to specialized health services.
Her third story drew from her tenure as dean, when the College of Medicine worked to improve training facilities and adapt medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chiong highlighted the shift to an online medical curriculum, which benefited the Class of 2026, alongside the adoption of clinical simulations, facilitated models, and modern dissection facilities.
The dean also cited the college’s achievement of a 100% passing rate in the physician licensure examination after nearly 15 years without a perfect rate. Graduates also placed among the top examinees.
Chiong used two statues at UP Manila to illustrate the relationship between service and knowledge. One represents offering oneself to the nation, while the other, in front of Calderon Hall along Pedro Gil Street, depicts a woman standing on a skull and raising a torch, symbolizing science and knowledge overcoming death, poverty, and ignorance. Together, the statues embody dedication to the country and the pursuit of knowledge, ideals that, she said, must go hand in hand.
Reflecting on leadership, she said, “Ang pinakamahalagang gawain ay hindi ang mamuno sa harap, kundi ang iduyan ng iba, ang ihanda ang lugar, ang mga kagamitan, at ang mga tao upang lumaki ang ating mga estudyante, guro, at kawani nang higit pa sa atin.”
Dean Chiong emphasized that leadership means creating opportunities and providing the resources for others to grow and surpass those who came before them.
Excellence across the university
A central part of the ceremony was the presentation of the 2026 Gawad Chancellor awards, which recognized achievements in teaching, administration, student leadership, the arts, and athletics.
Here are the recipients of the 2026 Gawad Chancellor awards:
Long-serving employees, retirees, student assistants, and university leaders recognized
Also presented in the program are service recognition awards to employees who have served the university for 20 years or more, including those who have completed 25, 30, 35, 40, and more years of service.
The university also honored retirees for their contributions to their respective units and the wider institution. The ceremony acknowledged the knowledge and experience they had shared, the institutional memory they helped preserve, and the colleagues and students they had mentored throughout their careers.
The university also recognized student assistants for Academic Year 2025–2026 for their diligence, commitment, and contributions to the offices and units where they were assigned. Their work supports university operations and contributes to the day-to-day delivery of administrative and institutional services while they pursue their studies.
The ceremony also recognized individuals and units for their contributions to the university community, including:
Retiree reflects on a career shaped by opportunity and service
Speaking on behalf of the retirees, Professor Yolanda Robles of the College of Pharmacy framed her message around the seasons of her life at UP Manila, drawing from a reflection she encountered on Facebook: “Every season has its purpose, even the ones that grow empty.” She reminded everyone that not every period of life will be marked by visible success or progress. She emphasized that quieter seasons can still bring growth and preparation for what lies ahead.
Recognizing the colleagues and friends who had supported her throughout her career, she emphasized the value of the relationships built at work and the importance of strengthening ties with family and friends as retirees move into a new stage of life.
She then discussed the season of transition, acknowledging that people cannot remain in the same positions forever. “Walang forever,” she said, reflecting on the need to move forward when others take over roles once held by retiring employees. She also underscored the importance of mentoring younger colleagues and passing on the values that helped them navigate their careers.
Foundation celebration closes with gratitude to the community
College of Pharmacy Dean Mac Ardy Gloria, chair of the 2026 UP Manila Foundation Celebration Committee, thanked university leaders, committee members, and employees for their support in organizing the anniversary activities. He said the committee spent eight months preparing more than 15 events and recognized the collective effort that made the celebration possible.
As UP Manila marks its 44th anniversary and the 47th year of the Health Sciences Center’s autonomy, their stories affirm that the institution’s work in education, research, and public service depends not only on its programs and facilities but also on the people who sustain its mission across generations.
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