UPD-CS graduates help cement UP’s lead in Asia

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UPD-CS graduates attend the College’s 2022 Special Recognition Program wearing the University’s iconic sablay sash. (Photo credit: UPD-CS Facebook Page)



One out of every ten graduates of the University of the Philippines - Diliman (UPD) is from the College of Science (UPD-CS), underscoring the latter’s essential contributions to the University’s standing as the country's premier institution of higher learning.

In 2022 alone, UPD-CS accounted for 331 or 9.52% of UPD’s 3,475 graduates. This helped UP as a whole rank 87th in Asia and 18th in Southeast Asia in the recently-released 2023 Quacquerelli Symonds (QS) Asia University Rankings, ahead of other Philippine universities. To help maintain and improve UP’s premiere status, UPD-CS is mandated to produce internationally-recognized graduates, institutional partnerships, and research output.

“The College aims to collaborate with different NGOs, private entities, SUCs, HEI, and local and international institutions in the scientific community to promote and mobilize scientific experts,” explained UPD-CS’s Associate Dean for Research, Innovation, Development, and Enterprise Ricky Nellas. “This will serve as a training ground for UP experts, students, and staff to fill network engagement between researchers.”

UPD-CS also has 18 active international research collaborations, five of which started just this year, plus a further 18 ongoing local partnerships. These were also taken into consideration in UP’s QS score and subsequent ranking.

Moreover, UPD-CS aims to produce industry and government leaders as it transforms itself into a leading research institution in Asia. Apart from strengthening the College’s research projects and partnerships, having a multi-tier support system for researchers would help achieve these goals, according to AD Nellas.

“This system should include not only financial coverage, but also holistic activities for the physical, mental, and psychological well-being of researchers,” he said. “Moreover, CS and the University should partner with lawmakers to improve taxation for researchers and lobby for tax exemptions for the research-derived honoraria and financial incentives. Alternatively, an increase in research honoraria can be implemented in lieu of tax breaks.”

AD Nellas added that the most crucial step UP should take is to improve the procurement process needed to establish, operate, and maintain scientific infrastructure and facilities. Restructuring the procurement pipeline for research activities, simplifying requirements, and providing exceptions for specialized needs would help reorganize the procurement process.

“These would greatly accelerate research and alleviate the administrative workloads of both project staff and the faculty. CS and the University could also allow and lobby for the deregulation of research-related contracts to allow our researchers greater flexibility, make procurement efficient, and improve the working conditions of staff and personnel,” he concluded.

For further information, please contact UPD-CS Associate Dean for Research, Innovation, Development, and Enterprise Ricky Nellas at rbnellas@up.edu.ph.

For interviews and other inquiries, please contact media@science.upd.edu.ph.

A Gathering of the Philippines’ Brightest:TOFIL Laureates Summit set for January 2023

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Sci. Dpl. Glenn Banaguas (center) is flanked by TOFIL Chairman Atty. Rogelio Garcia (left) and PACU Pres. Anthony Tamayo (right) at the signing of Memorandum of Collaboration for “THE LAUREATES: The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Summit,” to be held on January 17, 2022. Looking on are officials from partner agencies, the CI Senate Philippines, the ECCRI, ANSA Foundation, and the PACU.

The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Foundation has just entered into an agreement with the Environmental and Climate Change Research Institute (ECCRI) and the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU) to bring together some of the Philippines’ brightest minds from across multiple business sectors and academic disciplines to address hurdles in the way of the country’s sustainable development.

Dubbed “THE LAUREATES: The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Summit,” the event will be held on January 17, 2023, and will be attended by thought and industry leaders, academics, and other prime stakeholders. Under the theme, “Today’s Act, Tomorrow’s Impact,” the Summit aims to build a collective response to pandemic concerns; help communities distinguish fact from fiction in the new information ecosystem; recommend resilient and sustainable solutions to issues of interest to PACU and its stakeholders; and create a multidisciplinary network to address pressing concerns and threats to the country through innovative approaches and solutions.

The Terms of Reference for the Summit were formally signed recently by TOFIL Chairman Atty. Rogelio Garcia, PACU President Dr. Anthony Jose M. Tamayo, and ECCRI President and Science Diplomat Glenn S. Banaguas.

For over 30 years, The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Award has been given out by the JCI Senate of the Philippines and the ANSA Foundation in recognition of the exemplary achievements of men and women aged 41 and older. The TOFIL Award is touted as “the Nobel Prize of the Philippines.”

Awardees are selected as much for their accomplishments as for the “strength of their character and integrity; and the impact of their achievements on their field of work, public welfare, and national development.”

Himself a TOFIL Laureate, Sci. Dpl. Banaguas founded the ECCRI in 2010 and spearheaded the institute's flagship program, Climate Smart Philippines: Science for Service, to bring scientific experts and stakeholders together in addressing disasters and preventing losses from climate change and other hazards. For these initiatives, Banaguas received the prestigious global UN Sasakawa Award in 2022.

SSS announces release dates for the 13th month and December 2022 pensions

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The Social Security System (SSS) announced on Thursday that its pensioners will be receiving their 13th month and December 2022 pensions as early as the first week of December 2022.

SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Michael G. Regino said the pension fund is set to release around P29.74 billion covering 3.36 million pensioners.

“This year, we have also pushed for the early crediting of the 13th month and December 2022 pensions so that our pensioners can withdraw them ahead of the holiday rush,” Regino said.

Today, December 1, 2022, the SSS will release the first batch of the said pensions covering pensioners with dates of contingency within the first to the 15th day of the month.

The second batch, on the other hand, is set to be released on December 4, 2022, covering pensioners with dates of contingency within the 16th up to the last day of the month.

Since December 4, 2022, falls on a Sunday, pensioners who are set to receive their pensions on the said date can expect that these will be credited to their account starting on the last working day before it, which is December 2, 2022.

Meanwhile, the SSS requested its accredited non-PESONet participating banks to release the said pensions to their SSS-pensioner clients no later than December 4, 2022. It has also requested the Philippine Postal Corporation to expedite the delivery of the checks of its pensioners who are receiving their pensions in this manner.

“Since December 1988, we have been granting our pensioners the 13th month pension, which is equivalent to their respective monthly pensions. This additional financial assistance or Christmas gift is our way of thanking them for their support to the SSS during their working years,” Regino said.

Pensioners who are qualified to receive the 13th month pension are SS retirement pensioners, and SS and Employees’ Compensation (EC) survivor, and total disability pensioners, including partial disability pensioners with pension duration of not less than 12 months.