Preserving history as guideposts for the present and future spurs UP Manila to celebrate vital milestones such as its foundation, especially for the awareness and appreciation of its newer members. 

Before UP Manila became the health science campus of the UP System, it was known as the Health Sciences Center (HSC) for three years. Republic Act 5163 established the HSC in 1979 and integrated all the health science units of UP under one roof to make the Center more responsive to the country’s healthcare needs through the development of improved techniques and better facilities, and for the maximization of the individual health science units’ function. The Center subsequently became an autonomous campus and was renamed UP Manila in 1982. 

At the virtual commemoration of these twin milestones of UP Manila held on Oct. 26, 2020, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla emphasized that although UP itself is more than a hundred years old, UP Manila as an integrated health university is only 41 years old and it is this milestone that we are presently commemorating. The history of its individual units however, began much earlier with the College of Medicine and Philippine General Hospital being founded in 1905 and 1907, respectively; which antedated UP’s establishment in 1908. Other units were founded one after another, the latest of which was the National Institutes of Health in 1996 and formally recognized through RA 8503 in 1998. 

Chancellor Padilla thanked the collective contributions of all those who were with the university during its growth and evolution recognizing that these achievements helped define what UP Manila has become now. Today, UP Manila is regarded as the national leader in health education, research, and community service for the Filipinos. 

UP Manila’s response to previous crises and to the COVID-19 pandemic is a testament to this leadership and service. “Napakayaman ng naitulong at naitutulong ng UPM sa pandemya. Nakakataba ng puso, kinikilala itong major player sa pandemic.” 

She declared the celebration a day of thanksgiving of UP Manila for the devoted and loyal services of its retirees who spent decades in teaching, research, community service, and administration that exemplified their service to the country.

The highlights of the virtual ceremony were the keynote speech of Dr. Regina Berba, conferment of the Gawad Chancellor awards to outstanding members of the university (see separate article), and recognition of the 21 retirees and 103 service awardees who had served the university for 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years. 

In his response on behalf of the awardees, Dr. Camilo Roa, a faculty retiree of the College of Medicine hoped that he echoes the sentiments of other retirees and awardees that working in government can be a daunting and challenging experience. They are pressured to project themselves at all times and to keep themselves updated in knowledge and skills both in content and teaching delivery. Resources are not always adequate, he added, but they learned to adapt and accomplish the deliverables using locally available materials. 

“Through the years, we have collected teaching experiences and endorsed these to our young faculty; thereby, ensuring continuity of the enhanced learning experience to them. We have learned to document our tested procedures, publish our experiments, and even monetize our intellectual pursuits that contributed to the recognition of UP as a top learning institution in the country and among the best in the world,” he stated. Dr. Roa spent 34 years with UP Manila serving in different capacities.

He noted that authorship in peer-reviewed journals does not only bring accolades and at times cash grants and prestige, but also perpetuates one’s name and that of the university. When shared, the authors’ ideas and validated hypotheses can be translated to policies and programs that uplift the lives of the people and streamline health care delivery in our country 

He acknowledged that there are more needs of the nation that they can help provide other than classroom teaching, as many faculty can be part of national discourses or engage in off campus activities. “Retirees who dedicated more than half of our lives serving this university are happy to pay back. At age 65, we are still productive members and can still address the needs of our institution and pay back the nurturing care of the university.” 

He urged other retirees to be part of foundations that support UP Manila such as the UP Manila Alumni Association, Sagip Buhay, UP Medical Alumni Foundation, and similar organizations; to donate money for student scholarships and faculty chairs, and if in politics, to project the honor of the university and support its mission. Noting UP’s active involvement in the COVID-19 pandemic, he recalled being asked to make science-based recommendations with other members serving as fiscalizers to government programs.

The committee for the celebration was chaired by UP College of Nursing Dean Sheila Bonito and co-chaired by Asst. Vice Chancellor for Administration and Office of Alumni Affairs Director Melfred Hernandez. Musical numbers were provided by the UP Manila Chorale while Prof. Emily Dicolen served as Master of Ceremonies. Slides for the awardees prepared by the Information, Publication, and Public Affairs Office were presented in lieu of the face to face conferment of the awards. 

CYNTHIA M. VILLAMOR | Published in Healthscape Special COVID-19 Issue No. 19 (15 November 2020)