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FORUM
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
sh a p i ng
m i n d s
t h at
sh a p e
t h e
n at i on
VOLUME 14 NUMBER 6
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2013
The Day the Oblation
Stood Still
UP's Response in the Wake
of Typhoon Yolanda, Part I
See Part II, "Rising from the Rubble"
UP Forum, January-February 2014
2 | Rising from the
Destruction of UP
SHS by Supertyphoon
“Yolanda”: Learning
from History
I
mmediately after Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” I
took pictures of the massive destruction inflicted
on the buildings and facilities at the main campus
of the School of Health Sciences (SHS), University
of the Philippines Manila (UPM) in Palo, Leyte in
the morning of Friday, November 8, 2013. I also
wrote more detailed notes on the devastation in my
diary.
The photos attached to this report were taken
4 | The UPM Spirit in
Times of Crisis: Project
H20 of Mu Sigma Phi
N
ecessity breeds innovation,” wrote Dr. Josephine
Bundoc in her Facebook album after posting
three pictures of four blue screw tighteners in different
stages of fabrication by a 3D printer. The 3D printer
belonged to her husband, Dr. Rafael Bundoc, an
orthopedic surgeon. The blue screw tighteners, made
of plastic resin, were for the water filtration units being
prepared by volunteers for Yolanda-hit communities.
Mu Sigma Phi started donating water filtration
units after the deadly Bohol earthquake of October
2013. Known as the MU H20 Potable Water Package (“H20” here meaning “Help 2 Others”), they can
filter 20 liters of water in 20 minutes. Each unit can
16 | The Day the Oblation
Stood Still: UP Responds
to the Challenge of
Typhoon Yolanda
A
photograph by Rappler said it all: A landscape
of ragged trees with torn branches, the rubble
and the mud—and the silhouette of the UP Oblation
standing unbowed in its midst.
The photo of the UP Visayas Tacloban College
(UPVTC) campus made the rounds on Facebook1
November 10, two days after Super-Typhoon Yolanda
(Haiyan), the most powerful storm to make landfall in
recorded history, smashed through the Visayas region
and virtually disemboweled the country.
According to the Office of the President’s Of-
2 UP FORUM Volume 14 No. 6 November-December 2013
UP SHS Palo Oblation in Leyte still standing amidst the damage from Supertyphoon Yolanda.
RISING FROM THE DESTRUCTION OF UP SHS...
continued from page 1
Rolando O. Borrinaga
on three different visits to SHS on
November 19, and December 3 and
5, 2013. Other undocumented data I
mentioned are based on what I heard
over the local radio (DYVL, assisted
by DZRH), since I had had no access
to newspapers, TV and the Internet
since the supertyphoon struck nearly
a month ago.
Supertyphoon aftermath
Supertyphoon “Yolanda” was
classified by PAGASA, the government weather agency, as a Category
5 typhoon which packed 235 kph
winds near its center with gustiness of up to 275 kph. But American
meteorological sources said that the
supertyphoon in fact carried 315 kph
winds near its center and gustiness of
up to 385 kph. It was said to be the
“strongest typhoon” on record ever to
fall on land.
“Yolanda” made a landfall at
Guiuan, Eastern Samar around 4:40
a.m. on November 8, 2013, few hours
earlier than the PAGASA forecast.
Within the next two to three hours,
very strong winds and heavy rains,
accompanied by deadly storm surges,
struck Tacloban, Palo and nearby
towns of Leyte and Samar and caused
catastrophic damage to human lives
and property. Latest figures from the
National Disaster and Risk Reduction
Management Council (NDRRMC)
show at least 5,500 people dead and
nearly 2,000 missing, most of them
due to the storm surges in Tacloban
and nearby areas. About 80 percent
of the residential houses and public
buildings, including schools, along
the supertyphoon’s path in Leyte suffered partial or total damage.
The piles of debris along the roads
and the flattened landscapes of
Tacloban and Palo and nearby areas
reminded me of pictures and footage
I had seen of Hiroshima, Japan following its bombing in August 1945.
The occurrence of storm surges
seems to be a “best kept secret” in Tacloban’s collective memory. Tacloban
chroniclers have recorded a lot of minor and virtually insignificant events
in its annals, but never the storm surge
of 1897, which caused the deaths of
200 (5%) of its estimated population
of 8,000, nor the next storm surge that
came with a strong typhoon in 1912,
which showed a higher estimate (up to
50 percent in one estimate) of Tacloban’s population loss.
Learning from history
In the immediate days before
“Yolanda,” I had already alerted
my students about the possibility
of a storm surge with the oncoming
typhoon. I even called it a tsunami
to emphasize my point. The warning might have helped ensure that no
SHS student would become a casualty in this disaster.
The basis for my warning was a
very strong typhoon accompanied by
storm surges that struck Samar and
Leyte on October 12 and13, 1897, at
the height of the Philippine Revolution. That phenomenon was investigated and a report was published by
Fr. Jose Algue, SJ, the director of the
Manila Observatory, on commission
by Admiral Patricio Montojo, comcontinued on page 3
Fig. 1. The path of the 1897 typhoon with accompanying storm surges. The circled numbers indicate the height of the storm surges in various areas.
(Source: Algue, Jose S.J. El Baguio de Samar y Leyte, 12-13 de Octubre de 1897. Manila, 1898.)
UP FORUM Volume 14 No. 6 November-December 2013 3
RISING FROM THE DESTRUCTION OF UP SHS...
manding-general of the Spanish Navy
in the Philippines at that time.
As it turned out, “Yolanda” followed almost the exact path (from the
Pacific Ocean) of the 1897 typhoon
and produced storm surges with
similar heights and magnitudes as its
precedent event more than a century
ago (see Fig. 1), i.e., 3 m. in Tanuauan, 3.9 m. in Tacloban, and 4.6 m.
in its Anibong area. Even the destruction of representative buildings in
Palo showed a repeat during the two
disasters. Fig. 2 shows a fuzzy picture of the destruction inflicted on the
Palo Church and the Palo Municipal
Building, respectively, in 1897. Fig.
3 shows a similar pattern of destruction on the same two structures last
month. The recent photo shows the
damaged SHS buildings in front of
the Palo Cathedral.
Severe damage at SHS
All the buildings inside the SHS campus in Palo suffered severe damage.
The SHS Administration Building,
a ca. 1940s Puericulture Center which
was repaired after SHS occupied it in
the early 1980s, is now roofless and
suffered total damage to its wooden
structures on the second floor. But the
An old prefab building inside the
compound, which was used as storage
area for old SHS items, was pushed flat
to the ground by the supertyphoon.
The SHS flagpole has been bent to
ground level.
Only the UP Oblation statue, which
symbolizes the unflagging UP spirit,
stands erect and seemingly unharmed
by the disaster.
Recommendations
Initial efforts for the SHS to resume
operations in Palo should focus outright on providing temporary roofing
(i.e., canvas tent material) to the sixclassroom Herrera Memorial Building,
which can be used as temporary office
and classrooms. The rooms at the
ground floor of the SHS Administration
Building can also be used as classrooms and/or offices while we continue
to rehabilitate the other school facilities. The second floor of this building
can be rehabilitated using materials
stronger than the ones used to rehabilitate it in the early 1980s.
I hope these short-term recommendations will be given cognizance by
decision makers in UP Manila and
the UP System Administration, and
donors for the SHS who are willing
Fig. 2. Picture of the damage in Palo due to the 1897 typhoon.
concrete-walled ground floor was virtually spared, except for some broken
glass windows. See Fig. 4.
The six-classroom Dr. Florentino
B. Herrera, Jr. Memorial Building,
which faces the Palo Town Plaza, has
been stripped of its zinc roofing and
most of its ceilings. But the wooden
beams for the roof are still intact in
many places. See Fig. 5.
The two-room administration building, one room of which houses the
Learning Resource Center (LRC), is
now roofless and rid of its roof beams.
Its concrete wall facing the river
had been destroyed and pushed and
slanted inwards by the strong winds.
This building is a virtual wreck.
The Palo Maternity Clinic in the
SHS compound, which was built with
a grant from the Japanese Embassy, is
roofless in most places. But the metal
beams for its roof are still in place.
to provide the resources and funds.
There are now ongoing discussions
on the long-term infrastructure
rehabilitation of the UP campuses
affected by the devastation, on the
options to showcase the best designs, including future risks.
The SHS started in 1976 with only
one buildin0g that had two classrooms. After “Yolanda,” we can
certainly start again with the repair
of the six-classroom building named
in memory of our founder, the late
Dr. Florentino B. Herrera, Jr., and
pick up the pieces of our shattered
campus from there.
We can always stand up again from
where we fell.
-------------------Dr. Rolando O. Borrinaga is professor of history at the UP School
of Health Sciences, Palo Leyte.
Email him at rolborr@gmail.com
Photos on left, top to bottom: Fig. 3. Damage to Palo due to Supertyphoon “Yolanda” on November 8, 2013.
The damaged SHS buildings are in front of the damaged Palo Cathedral (with the two bell towers to the left of
center). Fig. 4.UP SHS Palo Oblation in Leyte still standing amidst the damage from Supertyphoon Yolanda.
Fig. 5.The damaged Dr. Florentino B. Herrera, Jr. Memorial Building. The photo also shows the SHS flagpole
bent to the ground. Last two photos at the bottom: Damaged buildings on the UPM-SHS campus.
Cover photo from Newsgraph, http://www.newsgra.ph/2242/oblation-stands-strong-amid-yolanda-ruins/. All photos in page 2 and 3 from https://www.facebook.com/media/s
et/?set=ms.793344780682891.793345917349444.793354717348564.793356494015053.793360130681356.793361877347848.793362960681073.793364050680964.7933
66580680711.793366980680671.bps.a.793344157349620.1073741866.100000221294883&type=1
THE UPM SPIRIT IN TIMES OF CRISIS...
Fedelynn M. Jemena
provide clear, potable drinking water to 4-5 families or a small barangay. With regular cleaning, the unit can last up to five years. What’s
more, it does not use electricity.
Forty MU H20 units were assembled and distributed in Bohol by Dr.
Kazan Baluyot during his medical relief operations. Expected beneficiaries were more than 50,000 families.
After Super Typhoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan) devastated the Visayas
in November 2013, 500 MU H20 units were bought, assembled, and
distributed to needy areas. As the year ended, 400 more were being
readied for distribution.
As of December 18, the filtration units had benefited communities in Samar, Capiz, Tacloban, and Ormoc through partnerships with
Sungkod Organization (Guian, Samar), Ugnayan ng PahinungodManila (Roxas and Samar), Doctors To The Barrios (Samar), ACS
Manufacturing (Tacloban), Dr. Darby Santiago (Ormoc, Leyte), Atty.
Jose Bayani Baylon and a five-member PGH team led by Dr. Jep Palo
(Guian, Samar), Leyte (Dr Lito Acuin), Roxas City (Dr. Abundio Balgos), and a Dr. Roque (Tacloban).
The story behind the MU H20 units
Mu Sigma Phi could have just asked for donations or bought bottled
water for the survivors. However, aware of the environmental problem
discarded plastic bottles can cause, the organization wanted something
that would give safe water to families for a long time with zero pollution.
Hence, the MU H20 Potable Water unit.
Each package is composed of a Sawyer Point ZeroTWO™ Bucket
Purifier from the US, a locally made 20-liter water bucket, a cloth
of linen and net (for filtering twigs, soil, small stones), tools, and a
manual of clear instructions in Filipino. The beneficiaries were taught
how to assemble, use, and clean the units. Volunteers also drank the
water produced to show how clear and safe it is.
Photo on the left: The Sawyer Point ZeroTWO™ Bucket Purifier Assembly Kit adapted for the
MU H20 Potable Water unit. “At its core is a state-of-the-art filtration device made from the same
technology as a medical dialysis filter. With a rating of 0.1 micron, the filter was designed to
make it difficult for even the smallest dirt and microorganism to pass through – like E.coli, giardia
intestinalis, vibrios cholera, and Salmonella Typhi. This means that this filtration system can be
used to get clear, potable water from nearly all fresh water sources like lake water, well water, or
flood water.” (“MU Project H20: What is it about?” from http://vimeo.com/81306055)
Undergrad brods prepare the filtration units.
Photo by Aldric Cristoval C. Reyes
The creation of the MU H20 units would not have been possible
without the donations and volunteer work of many people. Alumni
both here and abroad, like Dr. Abraham Rasul Jr and Dr. Manny
Dalope of the UP Medical Alumni Society in America (UPMASA),
campaigned to raise funds for the project. Non-UPM individuals
and organizations like the Physicians for Peace-Walking Free (USA
and Philippines) either bought or donated money to buy the Sawyer
kit (which costs P3,500 each), buckets, cloth materials, plastic resin
for the screw tighteners, other tools, and paper (for the labels and
manuals).
Under the guidance of Dr. Rafael Bundoc, volunteers from Mu
Sigma Phi (applicants, neophytes, brothers, and sisters) and the
Prosthetic and Orthotic Laboratory of the UP-PGH Department
of Orthopedics manually prepared by filtration units, translated
the instructions into easy-to-understand Filipino graphic booklets,
and had these printed. Dr. Bundoc himself AutoCAD-designed
and printed the screw tighteners. Jom Chua and Emmanuel
Limpin, both from UPCM Class 2016, took charge of the leg
work, logistics, mechanics, and the planning/scheduling of the
distribution.
Dr. Josephine Bundoc once wrote in her FB that the donations to
continued on page 6
Three photos from right: Dr. Bundoc said, “We encountered several
problems in assembling the units. There were no readily available tools
to make our relief work easy. We resorted to 3D printing technology to
design and fabricate our very own tools to facilitate the assembly of
the filter units. These innovated tools are provided to those who go into
the field to distribute the filters so that they can assemble the units with
extreme ease!”
'Yolanda' Survivors in Leyte, Samar and Capiz Receive
Medical and Relief Assistance from UP Manila
Anne Loren Claire A. Santos
I
f there is a positive side to the massive devastation caused by Typhoon
Yolanda, it is the rekindling of the spirit of generosity and solidarity among
individuals, groups, organizations, and
institutions not only in the Philippines
but worldwide as well.
UP Manila was among the health
institutions that responded early. Recognizing the urgency of an immediate
response, UP Manila quickly organized
relief and medical assistance efforts
for the typhoon survivors in Leyte,
Samar, and Capiz. Its own buildings in
Manila Director Eric Talens. The 21person team was composed of doctors
from the Philippine General Hospital
and East Avenue Medical Center; UP
College of Medicine Alumni; and
UP Manila and UP Visayas-Tacloban
volunteers. Five members of the
Mountaineering Federation of the
Philippines, Inc. also accompanied the
team to help in the distribution of relief
goods.
According to Dr. Talens' report published in the unit's Facebook account,
the Palo mission was designed to “de-
face towel, toothbrush, toilet paper,
sanitary napkin, diaper, alcohol, and
betadine were provided to families
who survived Yolanda's wrath. The
team also gave out 120 coloring books,
120 packs of crayons, and 120 toys to
children survivors.
The latest report from SHS Palo said
that all its 179 students and 56 faculty
and staff were safe, with some members relocated to safer places, including
Metro Manila. UP Visayas-Tacloban
College however, reported one student
as among those who died when Yo-
Palo. Furthermore, Pahinungod is
thankful to the Iglesia ni Cristo in Palo
for allowing the team to encamp on
their ground and use their facilities.
Hernani, Eastern Samar
To augment the meager assistance
provided to the 'Yolanda' survivors in
Hernani, Eastern Samar, Pahinungod
Manila deployed a team to the said
town on December 3-5, 2013 to undertake much-needed medical and relief
mission.
The team, composed of volunteers
Clockwise, from top photo from left: Arrival of the UP Manila Ugnayan ng Pahinungod team at Palo, Leyte. Top right photo: Mission to Barangay Baybay, Roxas City, Capiz. Photo at
bottom and middle right: Mission to Hernani, Eastern Samar. Photo at bottom left: Mission to Barangay Daan-Sur, Tapaz, Capiz.
the School of Health Sciences campus
in Palo, Leyte were destroyed and the
School’s faculty, staff, and students
were among those affected.
From November 18 to December
6, 2013, three batches of relief and
medical assistance groups were deployed to three different areas in the
three affected provinces. The teams
rendered medical services to about
1,100 survivors, performed six surgical
procedures, and distributed about 3,500
relief packs.
Palo, Leyte
The first medical and relief mission
was deployed on November 18-21,
2013 in Palo, Leyte, led by Pahinungod
liver relief to the community and UP
constituents in Leyte, provide medical
and surgical services needed in the immediate post-disaster period, and help
evacuate UP constituents who need to
be extricated to a safer and more habitable location.”
Pahinungod conducted around 500
consultations. The report also stated
that the team distributed 1500 family
relief packs, which contained repacked
rice, canned goods, instant noodles, instant coffee, candles, matches, biscuits,
candies and chocolates, bottled water,
and water purification tabs. In addition, 400 sleeping mats, 400 mosquito
nets, and 993 hygiene kits with bath
soap, toothpaste, cotton balls/buds,
landa battered the city. In a statement,
UP President Alfredo Pascual called on
the University community to render all
possible financial assistance and emotional encouragement to Erica Cressia
Antonino's family and relatives as they
cope with the loss of their loved ones.
Pahinungod is overwhelmed by the
generosity of its donors and volunteers
who helped prepare and repack the
relief items. The unit is also grateful
to a group of private individuals who
provided security assistance to ensure
the safety of the volunteers and relief
goods. Transport companies Philtranco
and JAM Liner provided crew and
transportation that brought the team,
relief items, and medical supplies to
from UP Manila, alumni from the
UP College of Medicine and PGH, a
mountaineer and civilian volunteers,
and a private practitioner, performed six
surgical procedures that included three
debridements for neglected wounds,
two incisions and drainages, and an
emergency circumcision. Moreover, the
team performed medical consultations
mostly involving upper respiratory and
gastro-intestinal infections.
According to a Pahinungod report,
the team distributed 1,568 family packs
of relief items. The people in Hernani
also received 1,000 shelter packs, which
had one mosquito net and a sleeping
mat. In addition, the team allocated
continued on page 6
THE UPM SPIRIT IN TIMES OF CRISIS...
Photos from the Mu Sigma Phi Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/MuProjectH2O
make the water filtration units brought peace to the volunteers. Although she
did not explain the reason, it is, perhaps, not because of what they accomplished in terms of the innovation and the number of units prepared and sent.
It was because they were able to help.
-------------------The author is a writer for the UP Manila Information, Publication, and
Public Affairs Office. Email her at fmjemena@yahoo.com.
SOURCES:
1 Dr. Josephine R. Bundoc and her FB page. Dr. Penny Bundoc is a doctor of rehabilitation
medicine. She is known for her volunteer work for PFP-WF--tirelessly finding ways to help the
neediest patients receive prosthetics to replace lost arms and legs, and ensure ongoing physical
rehabilitation. She and her husband, Dr. Rafael Bundoc, are both multi-awarded physicians.
2 Cortez, Kiko A. (UPCM Batch 2018). (n.d.). Project H20: MU donates water filtration units to
Bohol. Mu Sigma Phi. Retrieved from http://www.musigmaphi.com/index.php/Latest/Project_
H2O_MU_Donates_Water_Filtration_Units_to_Bohol.html
3 Berba, CM. (n.d.). MU Project H20: What is it about? Retrieved from http://vimeo.
com/81306055
4 Rasul, Abraham T. (2013, November 12.) Portable Water Filtration Units for Disaster
Victims from UP Medicine Mu Sigma Phi Foundation USA. Office of the President of the
Philippines Commission on Filipinos Overseas. Retrieved from http://www.cfo.gov.ph/index.
php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2109:portable-water-filtration-units-for-disastervictims&catid=171:updates-on-typhoon-yolanda-from-abroad&Itemid=859
5 Project H20 of Mu Sigma Phi, https://www.facebook.com/MuProjectH2O
6 Physicians for Peace Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/PhysiciansforPeace
7 Ugnayan ng Pahinungod-Manila Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/pahinungod
8 Sawyer Point ZeroTWO™ Bucket Purifier Assembly Kit. (n.d.). Sawyer. Retrieved from
http://sawyer.com/products/sawyer-point-zerotwo-bucket-purifier-assembly-kit/
'YOLANDA' SURVIVORS IN LEYTE, SAMAR AND CAPIZ...
722 blankets, 881 hygiene kits, 419 tarpaulin sheets, 125 underwear kits, 285 packs
of diapers, and eight big boxes of used slippers and shoes. Pahinungod also divided
among children survivors one big box of various toys and 258 kiddie packs that
contained coloring materials, slippers, and stuffed toys. Water purifiers and aquatabs
were likewise distributed to the typhoon survivors.
Roxas City and Tapaz, Capiz
The need for assistance raised by former UPM Vice Chancellor and UP-PGH
Consultant Dr. Abundio Balgos prompted Pahinungod to send a team to Capiz to
provide medical and relief services to constituents who survived the wrath of 'Yolanda'. On December 4-6, a team was deployed to Barangay Baybay in Roxas City
and Barangay Daang-Sur in Tapaz, Capiz.
The 17-person team led by Dr. Carlos Gundran, chairperson of Pahinungod
Disaster Response Program, served 270 patients during the half-day medical and
relief operations at Barangay Baybay. In addition, 240 patients in Tapaz received
medical assistance. The remaining medical and relief supplies were coursed to the
local office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
With the lack of potable water in Tapaz, diarrhea became a major health concern
within the community. Hence, the team also demonstrated the use of and distributed water purifiers to residents.
-------------------The author is a writer for the UP Manila Information, Publication, and
Public Affairs Office. Email her at alclaires_8@yahoo.com.
More photos from the UPM-Ugnayan ng Pahinungod mission to Palo, Leyte
Safe water for all. A total of 40 villages/barangays, rural health units, and schools from
seven municipalities (Guiuan; Mercedes; Salcedo; Gen. MacArthur; Hernani; Quinapondan;
and Giporlos) of Eastern Samar were identified/confirmed to have water contamination.
These MU H20 water filtration buckets reached their very doorsteps through the effort of
SUNGKOD. (https://www.facebook.com/MuProjectH2O)
UPV Continues Aid
for Northern Iloilo
Lenilyn B. Gallos
T
rue to its mandate as a public service university, UP Visayas (UPV)
tapped international aid agencies for rapid relief, early recovery,
and rehabilitation assistance to typhoon Yolanda-affected communities
in Panay Island.
As an initial effort, the UPV through the Center for West Visayan
Studies (CWVS) and the Community Outreach Program (COP) of the
College of Arts and Sciences organized a rapid response effort together
with volunteers from the faculty, staff, students, and alumni to help the
survivors of Yolanda in Panay Island.
The initiative gathered generous donations in cash and in-kind from
the UPV community and other sources. A total of Php242,775.00 cash
was coursed through the COP and also some amount through the UPV
Foundation Inc. (UPVFI).
Thousands of affected households in Carles, Iloilo and in the identified towns in the provinces of Antique, Capiz, and Aklan were benefited
by the collective effort. The distribution of relief goods took place on
November 13, 14, 16, 17 and 30 and December 27, 2013.
The UP Alumni Association, Inc. (Iloilo Chapter) raised a total of
Php2, 867,472.00 in donations from its generous members, friends and
other private individuals and institutions. The recipients were the towns
of Balasan, Ajuy, Sara, Estancia, San Dionisio, and Concepcion in
northern Iloilo; Dumarao, Roxas City and Pilar in the province of Capiz,
and Passi City.
Various student organizations of UPV likewise organized fund-raising
events such as a concert, Christmas caroling, Tree of Hope, SagipEskwela Project, and other income-generating projects. Based on the
approved permits from the Office of the Student Affairs (OSA), these
organizations were the UP Akeanon, UP Ichthyophilic Society, UPV
Hamilia Sisterhood, Sandigan Para sa Mag-aaral at Sambayanan (SAMASA), UP Sinirangan, UP Capizeño, CAS Student Council, UP Lipad,
UPV Hublag, UPV Choristers, Virtouso, Intermedius, Sonata, Daebak,
Media.com, Balay Lampirong, UPV University Student Council, Scintilla JURIS/Stella JURIS and Partido sang Mainuswagon nga Bumulutho
(PMB).
UPV through Prof. Jorge S. Ebay, CWVS director and Prof. Josephine Firmase of COP, both faculty members of the Division of Social
Sciences, CAS, also tapped Christian Aid for potential relief assistance
primarily for the small island communities in the Gigantes Group of
Islands, Carles, Iloilo where UPV has an on-going project on Risk Reduction and Capability Building in collaboration with the Community
Development Society of the Philippines (CDSP).
Ebay wrote to Christian Aid UK, which fielded Jessica Dator Bercilla, a former faculty member of UPV and currently connected with
Christian Aid UK, to lead the on-ground assessments in northern Iloilo
on November 10, 2013. The assessment yielded the decision to conduct
the rapid relief efforts, not just in Gigantes Islands but in other areas of
northern Iloilo as well.
Christian Aid UK and UK Aid provided a multi-million peso hu-
Photos from Janerie Octavio, UPV-IPO
Dr. Eric Talens, director of Ugnayan ng Pahinungod-Manila, drinks MU H20
water to show its safety to survivors in Samar.
Efforts
Yolanda Survivors
manitarian assistance to a local consortium composed of UPV, Panay Rural
Development Center, Inc. (PRDCI), Iloilo CODE NGO (ICODE) and the Jaro
Archdiocesan Pastoral Secretariat (JAPS).The two-phase emergency relief
assistance initially covered the towns of Batad, Carles and Concepcion and
expanded to other towns in northern Iloilo.
During the first phase, UPV took care of transportation, volunteer care
management, and assessment and distribution in the Municipality of Carles
while the All UP Workers Union led the warehousing and repacking of relief
goods. The Sentro ng Wikang Filipino (SWF) and the Community Outreach
Program (COP) served as the Command Center and the Operations Center,
respectively.
During the second phase, UPV took charge of procurement, inventory,
warehousing, repacking, quality control, hauling and loading of relief packs,
transportation and volunteer care. It also expanded its distribution coverage
to the upland communities of Lemery.
The UPV community—alumni, students, faculty, and staff—volunteered
on official time to repack thousands of sacks of rice, and other goods worth
Php18M as of this reporting. The UPV Auditorium, Graduate and Continuing
Education Building lobby and the UP High School in Iloilo building in the
Iloilo City campus served as the warehouse and repacking centers.
Each household beneficiary received packed goods in accordance with
international humanitarian standards: 30 kg of rice, 10 tins of sardines, one
2.5 kg tin of assorted biscuits, one liter of cooking oil, 20 liters of bottled
water, one kg brown sugar, 10 pieces of 135 g bath soap, four pieces 380 g
laundry soap, five toothbrushes, two tubes of 145 ml toothpaste, two packs
of sanitary pads, three pieces of nail clippers, two double size blankets, two
sleeping mats, one can opener, a water container, water dipper, and one bottle
of bleach.
Distribution started on November 20, 2013 in the barangays of Punta
Carles and Cabuguana, Carles. Succeeding distribution schedules covered14
island barangays of Carles and six island barangays of Concepcion.
UPV Chancellor Rommel Espinosa issued Administrative Order No. 431
creating a committee for the second relief distribution for northern Iloilo on
December 14-27 in Lemery, San Dionisio and the mainland barangays of
Concepcion.
As of January 3, 2014, relief efforts had benefited 9,996 households out of
the initial 8,000 target recipient households.
Christian Aid is a key member of the ACT Alliance, a coalition of 100
churches and church-related organizations working together in humanitarian assistance and development while UKaid (from the British people) is a
United Kingdom agency for international for development.
Humanitarian assistance will last for three years and will include emergency assistance, early recovery and livelihood rehabilitation. UPV is committed
to sustaining the efforts in helping rebuild the lives of the Yolanda survivors
in northern Iloilo.
-------------------With reports from Janerie Octavio, Vanessa Malaga, COP, Prof. Jorge Ebay,
and Prof. Jose Julie Ramirez. Email the author at upvipo@gmail.com.
Topmost photo: The
UPV team heads to
Isla Gigantes. Second
from top photo: A truck
delivers 206 containers of
distilled water, donated by
Christian Aid through UPV
to the survivors of Typhoon
Yolanda in Carles, Iloilo, in
front of the town's wrecked
Municipal Hall. Third
from top photo: Senior
citizens line up first to get
the relief gods donated by
Christian Aid through UPV.
Photo on right: UPV
professors distribute the
206 containers of 16 liters
of distilled water to each
household of survivors
of Typhoon Yolanda in
Carles, Iloilo. Bottom
photo: UPV volunteers
work with Carles
PNP personnel in the
distribution of relief goods
from Christian Aid.
UPV Musters Support
for Its Tacloban College
Lyncen M. Fernandez
Photo by Micaela Papa, GMA News, http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/335638/news/nation/up-president-asks-constituent-units-to-accept-cross-enrollees-from-up-tacloban
A
s soon as it was possible to
travel to Tacloban, UPV sent
a team to the Yolanda-wrecked UP
Visayas Tacloban College on November 12, 2013 to check on the faculty,
staff and students as well as to assess
the campus’ condition.
Vice-Chancellor for Administration Prof. Nestor Yunque led the team
along with University Physician Dr.
Marchette Noble; Director of the
Office of Student Affairs Prof. Ruben
Gamala; and Campus Development
and Maintenance Chief Engr. Rolando Jamero. The team brought with
them cash, medicine, and water.
UPV Chancellor Rommel A. Espinosa issued a Letter of Appeal on
November 11, 2013 to the UPV community including the alumni to help
colleagues in UPV Tacloban College.
Cash and relief goods poured in,
which were used to respond to their
immediate needs such as bottled water, dried fish and other food items,
and toiletries.
From the cash donations, UPV
also provided the Tacloban campus
with a laptop computer, broadband
access, cell phones, cell phone loads
and SIM cards to enable them to start
office operations.
Transportation expenses were
extended to 60 students from the
Tacloban campus who cross-registered in the UPV Iloilo City (53)
and the Miagao campuses (7). They
were accommodated in the different UPV dormitories and buildings
in the Miagao and Iloilo City campuses. Blankets, mattresses, pillows
and towels were purchased from the
cash donations. They were given
free dormitory and three meals at the
cafeteria. Since the cafeteria is closed
on Sundays, some faculty members,
staff and alumni have been sponsoring lunch for these students on these
days.
In addition, they were temporarily granted E1 bracket level in the
Socialized Tuition and Financial
Assistance Program which allowed
them to enroll without paying tuition
fees.
The Office of Student Affairs
(OSA) looked for foster parents for
students who could not go home
during the Christmas season. It also
organized a stress debriefing program
for them.
Meanwhile, some members of the
UP Alumni Association Inc., Iloilo
Chapter raised P30,610.00 for the
roundtrip transportation expenses
and meal allowance of eight UPV
Tacloban students who wanted to be
with their families during the Christmas season. Their tickets and allowances were given to them on December 17, 2013 after the UPV Lantern
Parade and Christmas program.
The University also launched
the “Bangon na. May Paglaum
Pa!” (Rise! There is hope.) T-shirt
campaign on December 2, 2013 to
raise funds for the rebuilding of the
Tacloban campus. The activity raised
P 63, 240 in two weeks which was
turned over to Chancellor Espinosa
on January 7, 2014.
The UPV Student Council
through the various student organizations also did fund-raising
activities. Students of the College
of Management launched a “Meet
a Friend from UPVTC” program,
a buddy system effort to help them
adjust and cope. The Validus Amictia together with some University
officials and staff sponsored the
Christmas party of UPVTC students
on December 16, 2014 at the Iloilo
City campus.
Various sectors of the University
including alumni and friends continue to contribute to the rebuilding
of UPVTC. As of December 5, 2014,
the total cash donations for UPVTC
had reached P192,875.50.
-------------------With sources from Staff Regent
Anna Razel Ramirez. Email the
author at upvipo@gmail.com.
Photos show the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, which destroyed several structures in the UPV Tacloban campus. The Oblation, though, remained standing.
Photo on left and middle photo courtesy of Mrs. Lorena Yunque, taken from the UP Visayas website at http://www.upv.edu.ph/upv/index.php/component/content/article/98-announcements/1019-photos-of-upv-tacloban-college. Photo on right, which appeared in the Facebook
page Narinig Ko sa UP (https://www.facebook.com/groups/NarinigKoSaUP/permalink/10151870418168369/), by Rappler.
Starting Anew in Cebu
About 200 displaced UP Tacloban students
find temporary ‘home’ in UP Cebu
Peter L. Romanillos
Prayers, Songs
Highlight UP
Cebu Relief
Drive for Yolanda
Survivors
S
tudents and alumni of the University of the Philippines Cebu (UP
Cebu) invited the general public to an
all-night event to collect donations for
survivors of supertyphoon Yolanda.
The event dubbed “1UP: The Yolanda Relief Drive” was held on the
school grounds Friday, Nov. 15 from
5 p.m. until midnight and featured a
solemn moment of candle lighting and
prayer at the Oblation Square for those
who perished during the storm and the
ones they left behind.
Participants were encouraged to
bring candles that were lighted during
the memorial.
1UP, organized with the Philippine Red Cross, exceeded its target of
packing 15,000 sets of relief goods for
Yolanda survivors in northern Cebu,
and Leyte and Biliran provinces.
Volunteers packed an estimated 18,000
sets of goods.
The repacking began Sunday, Nov.
10. The countdown to 15,000 packs
was headed by the hosts of 1UP between performances by local bands and
disc jockeys.
O
Photo from Jason Baguia, UP Cebu
nly the iconic Oblation statue is
Program (STFAP).
January,” she said.
standing amid the storm debris
Students in the E2 bracket beBut as much as the college
at the University of the Philippines
long to families with an income
wants to provide three meals a day
(UP) Tacloban campus, but some
of P80,000 or less and enjoy free
to the students, Corro said they are
of its students are already back in
tuition, miscellaneous, and laboratory
limited by their available funds.
school, in UP Cebu.
fees plus a standard stipend.
“Some said we should give them
The roof of the buildings in the Ta“During the enrollment, the transthree meals but considering that UP
cloban campus were blown away and
ferees underwent the normal screenCebu is a small branch of the systheir windows shattered. The caming and applications for the STFAP,”
tem, every cent counts,” she said.
pus is filled with debris and several
Corro said.
A pre-fabricated dormitory
uprooted trees.
Corro said students who come
made of concrete and galvanized
However, the university’s symfrom Tacloban City or the neighboriron sheets has been completed
bol—the Oblation, was able to
ing towns and cities in Leyte will be
beside the college’s dormitory at
withstand the strong winds brought
classified under the E2 bracket espethe back of the campus where the
by Yolanda.
cially if they were directly affected
students will be housed, she said.
About 200 students from the
by Yolanda.
The temporary shelter was protyphoon-devastated campus have
“The interviews and deliberation
vided free by local construction firm
moved to UP Cebu to continue their
were still implemented to screen the
Greenovate, Inc., and can accomeducation.
ones worthy of the E2 bracket. Some
modate around 90 people, she said.
“Here, they are given free lunch
might be from UP Tacloban but their
A UP alumnus who now resides
while a pre-fabricated dormitory is
families are abroad or in other places
in Australia has also pledged to
being constructed in the campus to
not affected by the storm,” she said.
sponsor double decker beds made
accommodate them,” said UP Cebu
“But for those who say that they
of bamboo while Mandaue Foam
Dean Liza Corro.
lost all their belongings and houses,
will provide the mattresses.
UP Cebu has also extended the
even family members, we put them
Corro said students are rentenrollment period for the second
under E2. Even if they do not have
ing out rooms in boarding houses
semester up to the end of
November to accommodate all displaced students
who were coming in. UP
president Alfredo Pascual
earlier ordered all of the
state university’s campuses
to open their doors to UP
Tacloban students and
extend all the help to enable them to resume their
studies.
“We already anticipated
that most of the students
there were not informed
about the announcement of
the UP president because
communication lines were
down,” she told Cebu
Daily News.
“Our professors are
taking the extra load with
the increase in the number
UP Cebu students pack relief goods deposited at the campus' Arts and Sciences Lobby during the week-long relief drive titled "1UP" organized
of students per class, but
by the alumni association and student council.
it doesn’t matter. This is
Some donors drove through the relief
also our sacrifice for the
center
and dropped off packs of goods
students,” Corro added.
some as far as barangay Talamban
proof, we believe them,” Corro said.
using
the
"1+2+3+1" formula. That
The students are enrolled in subjects
in Cebu City.
UP has an economic bracketing
meants
each
pack contained a kilo of
in line with their degree programs in
“The students told me that they
scheme for its students through the
rice, two canned goods, three packs of
UP Tacloban. Most transferees are
sleep on the floor in some boardSTFAP wherein tuition fees of each
instant noodles and one liter of water.
taking courses in business administraing houses because it’s really full
student vary according to their ecoOthers stayed in the venue with a
tion and management, psychology and
as of now,” she said.
nomic status.
donation
of P20 each and joined the
political science, she said.
According to earlier reports,
A corresponding tuition fee bracket
volunteers
in packing collected goods.
A week after the storm, Pascual
classes in the two UP campuses in
is assigned to a student based on the
While
in
the venue, they bought
issued an urgent request to UP conLeyte–UPVTC and the UP Marange of his or her parents’ or guardgoods
to
donate,
availed of the serstituent universities to allow students
nila School of Heath Sciences in
ians’ annual income and assets.
vices of concessionaires, or bought the
from UP Tacloban to cross-enroll for
Palo—were canceled after several
works of local artists.
Free food, shelter
the second semester.
school buildings and facilities
All proceeds were used to purchase
Pascual last week asked the heads
At noon, the college’s canteen is
were destroyed by the typhoon.
more
relief goods, all of which were
of the other UP campuses to temfilled with cross-enrollees who are
Despite the sudden change
distributed
through the Philippine Red
porarily waive the requirements for
provided free meals by the school
of environment, Corro said the
Cross
and
1UP’s
partner organizations
cross-registration of students from
administration.
administration wants the “new
situated in the areas hardest hit by
UP Tacloban in light of the emergenCorro said they issue meal tickets
students” to feel at home.
Yolanda.
cy situation caused by supertyphoon
for one meal to ensure that the stu-------------------Netizens used the hashtags #1UP,
Yolanda.
dents have eaten during the day.
This story originally appeared in
#YolandaPH
and #ReliefPH to keep
Some students from Tacloban will
“One time I had lunch with all of
the Cebu Daily News and www.
abreast
of
the
relief effort.
not be paying a single centavo since
them and I really got to ask them
inquirer.net. The author, Peter L.
The
UP
Cebu
Student Council and
Romanillos, is a newswriter from
they were accepted under the E2
about what they need. They told
the
UP
Alumni
Association
Cebu
the Cebu Daily News. Email him
bracket of the university’s Socialme all they need is food, that’s why
Chapter spearheaded the drive.
at forum@upd.edu.ph.
ized Tuition and Financial Assistance
we’re giving them free lunch until
Project Lightline
Tugon ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan
sa mga Nasalanta ng Kalamidad
Fred Dabu
A
yon kay Dr. Giovanni Tapang ng
UP National Institute of Physics,
ang mga mag-aaral ng UP ay marami
pang maitutulong sa mga tinamaan
ng kalamidad, dagdag sa relief operation, weather and climate prediction,
civil work, preparedness and response,
at iba pang uring suporta na naging
karaniwan nang kaparaanan. Isang halimbawa nito ay ang Project Lightline,
kung saan ginamit ng mga estudyante
ang kanilang natutunan sa klase upang
makagawa ng mga emergency charger
para sa mga nasalanta ng bagyong
Yolanda noong Nobyembre 2013.
Sinabi ni Propesor Tapang na
maaaring makagawa ng ibang mga
kagamitang tutugon sa pangangailangan ng mga nasalanta. "Pwede rin yung
mga hand-cranked generator o solarpowered device na mabubuo mula sa
mga kagamitang nariyan na o makakalap pa, depende sa pangangailangan."
"Maraming project sa mga klase natin, hindi puro teorya ang pinag-aaralan, na pwedeng isagawa lalung-lalo na
kapag may kalamidad. Kailangan lang
suportahan ng faculty at ng university,
kung saan may mga ganitong kaalaman
at kagamitan, kagaya ng nasa VISSER.
Natutuwa ako na naalala ng isang dati
kong estudyante ang kanyang electronics class at na-mobilize niya ang kanyang mga kaibigan para sa Lightline.
Bilang teacher, susuportahan mo talaga
ito," ayon sa propesor.
Sa Project Lightline, nakita ng mga
estudyante na maaaring magamit
ng mga nasalanta ang mga lumang
baterya para makapagpadala sila ng
text message na magsasabing ligtas
sila, o maipararating sa mga kamaganak o kaibigan nila kung ano na ang
sitwasyon sa mga lugar na nawalan ng
kuryente.
"Kung walang kuryente para sa cell
phone, maghanap tayo ng paraan para
mapagana ang cell phone. Napakilos
sa Lightline ang mga taga-Physics,
taga-Engineering, at lahat ng gustong mag-solder para makatulong
sila. Pero kapag matagal na walang
kuryente, mas magandang magkaroon
ng alternative power generation na
pwedeng i-explore ng faculty at ng mga
estudyante. Ito ang isa pang itinuturo
sa atin ng Lightline: It doesn't have to
be high-tech; it just needs to be realizable," dagdag ni Tapang.
Simula ng Project Lightline
Nang lumabas sa balita ang mga ulat
ng pinsala at kawalan ng kuryente sa
mga lugar na sinalanta ng bagyong
Yolanda, nagmungkahi sa social media
si Gillian Uy, isang graduating physics
student at naging estudyante ni Prop.
Tapang sa Applied Physics 181 (electronics), na gumawa sila ng joule thief
para sa mga nasalanta.
"Ito ang Lightline. Ang joule thief ay
isang device na makakapag-extract ng
kuryente sa lumang baterya para mapaandar ang mga low-voltage lang na
mga kagamitan tulad ng cell phone,"
paliwanag ni Tapang.
Sa madaling panahon, bumuo sila ng
grupo ng mga volunteer na gagawa ng
maraming joule thief, at ginamit nila
ang mga soldering iron at testing equipment na nasa laboratoryong VISSER,
isang proyektong naka-base sa UP-NIP.
Nagdisenyo sila ng final circuit kasabay
ng kanilang panawagan para sa mga
donasyong lumang cell phone charger
na kukunan nila ng mga piyesa.
"Tinawag namin itong Lightline
kasi magbibigay ito ng 'lifeline' o just
enough charge for one text to tell their
family na 'okey pa kami'. Nakabuo
kami ng ilang unit kasama ang mga
volunteer galing sa physics, engineering, biology, mga alumni; mayroon
ding galing sa ibang school, at iba pang
campus. Ang ibang pumunta, talagang
walang alam sa electronics, pero will-
ing silang magbukas ng cell phone
charger, mag-solder, mag-desolder, at
mag-assemble. Halos 200 ang tumulong. Maraming tumulong. May mga
nag-donate rin ng mga lumang cell
phone," kwento ni Tapang.
Dagdag pa niya, "Lightline just
starts an oscillation galing sa lumang
baterya. Papalakihin ng transformer
ang voltage para mag-charge, pero
hindi ito malakas. Konti lang din ang
maidaragdag, enough lang para hindi
mamatayan ng phone habang nagtetext. Hindi rin ito designed para sa
call. Pero pwedeng gumana gamit ang
ano mang bateryang nasa bahay. We
designed it for AA pero pwede namang
gamitin sa mga C o D battery."
"Maraming naging interesado kasi
it's a different way of helping out.
Ngayon, may mga dumarating pa ring
donated charger. Pwede naman itong
ituloy, to make these things even before
disasters occur para pagdating ng
disaster, merong mabilisang maidedeploy. Ang caveat lang, it's really
a lifeline. Lightline is a lifeline. You
don't use it often kasi pwedeng magovercharge. It was designed to just give
the initial charge. Hindi siya gagamitin
lagi," paliwanag ng propesor.
Bilang pang-wakas, nanawagan si
Tapang na makilahok at makialam ang
mga siyentista at dalubhasa sa mga
usaping panlipunan bilang pagtugon sa
mga pangangailangan ng bayan.
"The whole scientific community
should mobilize to find kung ano ang
lugar nila sa disaster response at
kung paano maia-apply ang kanilang
kaalaman at kakayanan, hindi lang
para sa disaster response kundi para
sa ekonomiya ng Pilipinas It's really
a wake-up call for everybody to make
science and technology relevant to the
ordinary Filipino," ani Tapang.
-------------------Email the author at forum@upd.edu.ph.
Larawan sa itaas:
Mga Isko at Iska na
tumulong sa pagbubuo
ng mga "lightline."
Mga larawan sa
ibaba: Mga lumang
cell phone, charger,
kagamitan at piyesa
na ginamit ng
mga volunteers sa
pagbubuo ng mga
"lightline" sa UP-NIP
UPLB Extends Assistance
to Students Affected
by Typhoon Yolanda
Mervin de Roma
U
Photo sent by Kristine Araguas, UPLB-OC-OPR
PLB raised funds and in-kind donations for
survivors of super typhoon Yolanda, including students affected by the devastation wrought
by the killer typhoon. The University demonstrated a concerted and comprehensive approach in its
various outreach and relief assistance activities.
Relief operations
UPLB was the first among UP System constituent universities to send a truckload of relief goods
on Nov. 15, 2013. With the Office of the ViceChancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA)
coordinating the relief efforts, UPLB generated
more than Php130,000 on Nov. 26, 2013. This
was complemented by donations from the UPLB
Foundation Inc., student organizations, and other
socio-civic organizations coursed through the
OVCCA, conduit national and local organizations,
or given directly to the victims themselves.
Student cross-enrollees
Through the initiative of the Office of the ViceChancellor for Academic Affairs, the University
waived the tuition fees of at least 30 undergraduate students from typhoon-affected areas. This
was achieved through STFAP re-bracketing of the
concerned students to E1 and E2.
Those who applied for the STFAP during the
semester were re-bracketed to E2, which entitled
them to full tuition discount and a stipend of Php
2,400 per month during the semester. A total of 30
undergraduate students were re-bracketed to E2.
On the other hand, 34 students who did not apply for
the STFAP will, upon application, be re-bracketed to E1,
which will entitle them to free tuition and exemption
from payment of miscellaneous fees.
To date, UPLB has identified 66 undergraduate and 28
graduate students from the typhoon-affected areas and
two students who cross-registered from the UP VisayasTacloban City Campus. They were contacted by SMS
and by email to inform them of the assistance that UPLB
could provide.
Apart from the tuition break, UPLB has also
provided free dormitory accommodations, which
were availed of by 19 undergraduate and 15
graduate students.
From the funds it has raised from organizations and other groups, UPLB has been providing financial assistance and meal tickets to
the students. To date, 24 of the undergraduate
students have been provided living allowances
of Php4,000-5,000 per month for the month
of December. In addition, from November to
December 2013, groups of concerned individuals
have provided meal tickets that entitle students
to three meals per day. Fourteen students availed
themselves of the meal tickets.
To address the mental and emotional well-being of the students, UPLB has also been providing counselling services to the distressed individuals. The Counseling and Testing Division of the
Office of Student Affairs organized the session
“Makulay Tuloy-tuloy ang Buhay,” composed
of ‘creative stress buster’ activities through art,
dance, music relaxation techniques, TaiChi and
‘Laughter Yoga’ for 15 students.
Faculty, alumni, and student
contributions
In the Spirit of the Yuletide Season, UPLB
launched a special program for displaced students called ‘Foster Family for Christmas.’ Ten
students from the typhoon-affected areas who
were unable to go home were ‘adopted’ by families from UPLB. Moreover, some groups chose to forego
their traditional Christmas parties and instead donated the
money they would have spent to financially support the
students. Those who pushed through with their Christmas
parties invited the students and gave them Christmas gifts
and cash.
Faculty members and alumni from the different colleges
contributed to the collective fund as well, while some stucontinued on page 13
Photo by Anthony Montecillo, UP Mindanao
The UP Mindanao Mission
to UP Tacloban
Rene Estremera
A
delegation from UP Mindanao
left on December 11, 2013
to deliver relief goods and cash
donations to UP Tacloban. The UP
Mindanao bus was used to carry
the goods collected by the UP
Mindanao constituents, the Mindanao Times newspaper, and those
from other donors. The trip was organized by the Office of Extension
and Community Service composed
of Director (Prof.) Erwin Protacio,
Extension Officers Michael Gatela
and Diocy Cloribel-Guilabtan,
with drivers Henry Fernandez
and Ildefonso Magpusao Jr, Land
Mgt. Officer Joel Sagadal, Administrative Officer Michelle Panis,
and Scholarships Officer Analiza
Fulvadora. Vice Chancellor for
Administration (Prof.) Antonio
Obsioma would meet up with the
team at the site.
The UP Mindanao team arrived
at the UP Visayas Tacloban College on December 12. The team
was met by UP Tacloban officials
led by Dean Anita Cular. On
December 13, Vice-Chancellor
Obsioma turned over to Dean
Cular the cash donations from
Davao Doctors College, the UP
Mindanao constituents, and the
donations sourced by the Office
of Extension. VC Obsioma also
gathered information for the plan
of the Davao City Chamber of
Commerce to send construction
materials.
The UP Mindanao team conducted gender-related activities.
Team members—who are also
UPVTC alumni—Michael Gatela,
Michelle Panis, and Joel Sagadal
met and talked with fellow-alumni
and contacts working in different
UNICEF-affiliated NGOs on the
relief and reconstruction efforts. A
briefing was given by Task Force
Yolanda commanding officer, and
UP Vanguard alumnus, Col. Peale
Jon Bondoc.
It was reported that a new city
ordinance was issued stipulating
that no buildings shall be located
within a certain distance from the
coastline, a ruling which may affect the campus. There is talk that
UP Tacloban and UP Palo may
be relocated to a new upland site
some distance from the city, in a
place called Sta. Elena.
The team left at dawn on Saturday, December 14, and were back
in UP Mindanao by Sunday morning. Mr. Gatela and VC Obsioma
shared the groups experience with
the UP Mindanao constituents during flag ceremony the following
day.
-------------------From reports by MA Gatela, JN
Sagadal, MA Panis. Email the
author at raestremera@up.edu.ph.
Yolanda Heroes fr
UPMin Students join Tulong
Aynaderka Odessa Vyan Padilla-Sison
Photo by Anthony Montecillo, UP Mindanao
Photo by MA Gatela, UP Mindanao
U
P Mindanao students helped Typhoon Yolanda victims by participating
in Tulong Kabataan, a relief drive initiated by sectoral organizations.
The UP Mindanao University Student Council and Himati student publication led the relief efforts. A page was created in the social media named
"Tulong Kabataan UPMin" to disseminate the call.
The repacking of relief goods took place on November 15 at the UP Mindan-
UPVTC Dean Cular formally accepts the relief goods donated by UPMin constituents,
Mindanao Times newspaper, and other donors, from UPMin Vice-Chancellor Antonio
Obsioma. Present are (left-right) UPMin's extension director Erwin Protacio, land
management officer Joel Sagadal, extension officer Michael Gatela, and four UPVTC
constituents
Donation of Davao Doctors College for
Photo by Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao
Photo by MA Gatela, UP Mindanao
UP Mindanao extension director Erwin Protacio and Task Force Yolanda commander
Col. Peale Jon Bondoc talk with UPVTC Dean Anita Cular and Kerima Jopson.
The Davao Doctors College (DDC) and its organized constituents
donated a total of P321,832.15 as assistance for UP Tacloban which
they coursed through UP Mindanao. The donation was delivered on
November 25, 2013 by a delegation led by DDC President Miguel
Soledad. The cash was contributed by the DDC itself and its various
sectors: DDC Faculty Union, DDC Alumni Association Inc., DDC
Student Council, Clarion student publication, the Physical Therapy
Dept., and a PE class.
Seen in the photo holding the contributions from their respective
sectors are (front row, left-right) DDC Extension Dir. Angelica
Torres, DDC Vice-Pres. Ma. Leah Villano, UP Mindanao Chancellor
Sylvia Concepcion, UP Min Cashier Emma Ruth Caalaman, DDC
Clarion student publication representative Jann Julia M. Dadivas,
DDC Student Council representative Karla Mae C. Esquierdo,
DDC Alumni Assoc. Pres. Ralph Augustus Manaois, (back row) UP
Min Vice-Chanc. Antonio Obsioma, UP Min Extension Dir. Erwin
Protacio, DDC Faculty Union Pres. Owin Ferolino, and DDC Pres.
Miguel Soledad.
The amount was turned over by Vice Chancellor Antonio Obsioma
to UPVTC Dean Anita Cular on December 13, 2013. (By Rene A.
Estremera)
Photo by Anthony Montecillo
UPLB EXTENDS ASSISTANCE...
dent organizations conducted various fund-raising activities to support the tuition
fees and living allowances of affected UPLB students.
In particular, the two cross-registrants from UP Visayas-Tacloban City Campus, together with 10 other UPLB students, were provided Php5000 each by
the alumni, faculty and staff of the College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial
Technology (CEAT).
The UPLB Faculty Follies, which traditionally features performances by faculty members, staff and students of the different UPLB colleges, was transformed
into a benefit show to raise funds for the students affected by Typhoon Yolanda.
The event was graced by Miss Universe 3rd Runner-Up Ariella Arida (UPLB BS
Chemistry graduate, Class 2011) who herself has been busy with Yolanda relief
efforts. The activity raised more than Php 145,000 for the survivors.
Other fundraising activities organized by UPLB and its constituents were the
following:
om UP Mindanao
Kabataan
•A fundraising show by the Institute of Chemistry (IC) and Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics (IMPSP), College or Arts and Sciences
(CAS);
• A Christmas fundraising and thanksgiving get-together organized by the
University Housing Office (UHO) and the UPLB Dormitory Association;
• Sponsorship of four students (one each per department) by the College of
Economics and Management (CEM);
• A pledge of Php 100 per month by all the faculty members of the College
of Development Communication (CDC) for the whole semester;
ao Administration Building Atrium. The goods were consolidated into a larger
shipment and transported under the auspices of the sectoral organizations.
On November 21-26, eleven UP Mindanao students, with student leaders from the Davao region, joined a land trip to Tacloban City organized by
Balsa Mindanao (Help for Mindanao), a Mindanao-wide network formed in
response to Typhoon Sendong in 2011.
Joineing the trip were: BA Anthropology students Chary May Yvon Dicto,
Enzo Salvador, Nikko Stefanni Ibanez, Aynaderka Sison, Cherry Mae Mondilla, Janna Pantonial, Charlene Erbito, Therese Tinio, and Shem Roxas; and
BA Communication Arts students Kit Iris Frias and Keziah Francisco. In
Tacloban, the students participated in the fact-finding, medical mission, psychosocial therapy, and relief operations. This activity developed their skills
in fact-finding, documentation, medical treatment, and psychosocial therapy,
and impressed upon them the importance of service to fellow-Filipinos.
Postscript
In the immediate aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, Vice Chancellor for
Administration Antonio Obsioma issued a call for donations and designated
collection points and point-persons for cash and donations in kind. The
Office of Extension and Community Service designated a receiving bank
account for cash donations. Collections from these efforts were consolidated and delivered to UPVTC in December. Likewise, when UP President
Pascual issued instruction for UPVTC students to be allowed to cross-enroll
in other UP constituent universities, there were families in Davao who expressed willingness to host cross-enrollees.
-------------------Email the author at raestremera@up.edu.ph.
UP Tacloban
• A pledge of support for six agriculture students from typhoon-affected
areas by the College of Agriculture (CA);
• A pledge to support three Veterinary Medicine students from typhoon affected areas by the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM); and
• A fundraising Fun Walk organized by the College of Arts and Sciences
(CAS).
-------------------Email the author at kearaguas@up.edu.ph or opr@uplb.edu.ph.
Weep Not, Rise Up!
Interview with Arianne Kris Villegas,
Representative, Tindog UP–Network of UP
Tacloban students, families, friends, supporters of victims and survivors of Typhoon
Yolanda from Eastern Visayas
Stephanie Cabigao
I
t is unimaginable how to survive a
storm as dreadful as Yolanda. But
a young survivor emerges and talks
about what she and her folks back
home look forward to after the devastation.
Arianne Kris Villegas, a third year
Biology major student from UP Tacloban and now a cross registrant in
UP Diliman, has assumed the role as
the spokesperson of Tindog Network—
the bridge between the world and the
students, families and supporters of Typhoon Yolanda victims and survivors.
With only two days worth of clothes,
Arianne packed her bag, walked away
from the evacuation center to Tacloban
airport, and boarded the C130 plane to
Manila. Arianne, now in UP Diliman,
recalls her experience of a lifetime and
reflects how owning up to her personal
struggles has transformed into a unified
struggle for justice for the survivors
and victims of Yolanda.
Q. How did you learn about cross
enrollment for students of UP Tacloban?
Villegas: It just spread like gossip.
There was no statement from the UP
Tacloban administration as they, too,
lost their homes and family members.
After the storm,
ABS-CBN news reporter and UP
alumnus Atom Araullo (second from
left) with students from UP Visayas
Tacloban at the "A Thousand Meals for
UP Tacloban: A Benefit Concert."
all of us wondered if our classmates
were still alive. There was no way to
regroup. It was only on November 20
that I was able to go to Tacloban to
check on my phone and contact people
from our school. A classmate told me
that the deadline for cross enrollment
to other UP campuses was on November 22. With only two days left, there
was no time to talk things over with
my parents. It was very informal telling them that I was going to Manila to
cross-enroll.
Q. Did you come to Manila with
your classmates?
Villegas: No. We had to do it on our
own. When we got to UP Diliman, it
was the only time when we had some
kind of system. They told us what to
do, where to go, and were even given a
guardian. The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs under Prof.
Marion Tan and The Office of the Student Housing under Prof. Gerry Lanuza
assisted us with our basic necessities,
dorm accommodations, and enrollment orientation. The OVCSA hosted
a dinner for the 264 cross registrants
at the School of Labor and Industrial
Relations (SOLAIR). That was the first
time I saw my classmates, batch mates,
and school mates after the typhoon. We
were just too happy that we lived.
Q. Describe your life away from
home.
Villegas: At first, we didn’t know
what to do. We told ourselves we
would cross enroll, but after that, what
do we do with our lives? Then, we
thought of reaching out, locating and
contacting our batch mates and the rest
of our schoolmates in UP Tacloban. It
was necessary to move for-
ward
as one so that we can ensure a genuine
support system for us. If we want to
say something to the administration, we will say it together. There is
strength in numbers. Thus, the need
for Tindog UP - Network of families,
friends and victims of Typhoon Yolanda. But we we must not tag ourselves as mere victims but survivors.
If we can’t stay in Tacloban for our
families, we can still do something for
them here. Our one solid moment was
Arianne Kris Villegas ( right) and a
friend at the "A Thousand Meals for
UP Tacloban" benefit concert.
our presentation at the 2013 Lantern
Parade.
Q. Can you share with us your
insights about your participation at
the 2013 UP Lantern Parade?
Villegas: Some people told us to
simply enjoy the occasion and watch it
as it happened. However, it was more
meaningful to be part of it. We were
with other Tacloban folks living with their relatives in
Quezon City. They have become refugees and are jobless. We wore headdresses
and called for “Kabuhayan,
katarungan, tirahan, pagkain” during the program. It
was addressed not just to the
community but more importantly to the national government. We introduced Tindog
UP composed of people who
chose to live for those who
have died.
The UP Lantern Parade in
2013 was symbolic. It meant
that we could really do something. Before, I was one of
those who looked down on
people trying to make a difference. But when I saw the
people’s reaction at the Lantern
Parade and heard the well wishes
of my folks, I knew I was not
destined to simply keep quiet.
Hearing “Thank you for the courage,
thank you for being our voice,” I realized our sentiments for Tacloban are,
indeed, universal.
Q. After mobilizing to do relief
operations and establish Tindog UP,
what are your other plans?
Our clamor now is to continue to
raise everyone’s awareness. We have
to help the government come up with
sustainable solutions by airing our
demands and hope that the government
would listen. We clamor for justice for
Tacloban, not just about free tuition,
but our right to free education because
it’s the only thing that we can hold on
to. Tinuruan tayo ng UP na huwag
maghintay ng limos para sa ating
karapatan dahil ito ay ibinibigay. Kung
sakali mang hindi ibigay, sinisingil ito
sa kinauukulan.
Dumudulog ang mga estudyanteng
apektado ng Bagyong Yolanda sa
Lupon ng mga Rehente ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas na sila ay mabigyan
ng maksimum na tulong upang ipagpatuloy ang kanilang pag-aaral sa
UP. Kagyat sanang tugunan ang mga
sumusunod na panawagan:
1. Automatic rebracketing sa
Bracket E2 ng mga apektadong
estudyante hanggang sila ay
makapagtapos. Mayroong ilang
CUs na tumanggap ng mga
cross-registrants mula sa UP
Tacloban para sa semestreng ito
subalit hindi sila pinagkalooban
ng libreng matrikula at stipend.
Ang libreng matrikula para sa
mga estudyanteng nasalanta
ay dapat maibigay sa lahat ng
mga apektado na hindi kailangang dumaan pa sa mahabang
proseso. Para sa mga estudyanteng hindi naging Bracket E2
ngayong semestre, hinihiling
na sila’y agad na mailipat
ng bracket at ma-refund ang
anumang halaga na kinailangan
nila para makapag-enroll.
2. Pagbibigay ng food allowance
sa mga estudyanteng apektado
sa mga susunod na semestre.
Isang malaking problema ng
mga estudyanteng nasalanta
ay ang kanilang pagkain. Sa
continued on page 15
WEEP NOT, RISE UP...
ngayon, may mga indibidwal na
nagdo-donate para sa pagkain
ng mga cross-registrants sa UP
Diliman. Sana’y hindi lamang
iasa sa charity ang buhay ng
mga estudyanteng nasalanta ng
bagyo.
3. Libreng pabahay/dorm allowance hanggang sa mga susunod
na semestre. Mayroong mga
cross-registrant sa ibang mga
campus na umuupa pa rin sa
mga boarding house.
4. Kagyat na tuition refund para
sa mga nakapagbayad na ng
matrikula sa UP Tacloban.
5. Basic school supplies gaya ng
scientific calculators, laboratory
gowns, etc.
6. Pagpapatuloy ng scholarship at study grants. Mayroong
mga estudyanteng nag-cross
register sa ibang campus na
hindi na nakatatanggap ng
mga financial assistance mula
sa kanilang mga scholarship
at study grant pagkatapos ng
bagyo.
7. Pagpapalipat ng tuluyan
ng mga estudyante mula sa
UP Tacloban na nagnanais
na lumipat sa ibang campus
para sa susunod na semestre kahit kulang pa sila ng
required number of units. Sana’y
magbigay- konsiderasyon sa
usaping ito dahil kinikilala natin
na sa pagbabalik-aral sa UP
Tacloban ay hindi lamang ang
kalagayan ng campus mismo,
ng mga pasilidad at classrooms,
ang kailangang isipin ngunit
pati na rin ang kalagayan ng
buong Tacloban.
8. Pagbigay-credit sa UP Tacloban
ng mga subject na kinuha ng mga
cross-registrants sa ibang campus.
9. Pagbibigay ng maximum na luwag sa number of units na maaaring kunin ng mga cross-registrants
upang maiwasan ang delay.
Bukod sa mga ito ay may ilan pang
mga panawagan kung sakaling mapagpasyahang buksan na ulit ang UP
Tacloban.
1. Seguridad ng mga estudyante sa
loob ng campus.
2. Maayos na mga classroom at
mga pasilidad.
3. Libreng medical assistance para
sa mga estudyante.
4. Libreng tirahan, o kung sakaling kulang ang mga dorm ay
siguruhing may mga kalapit na
boarding house at bigyan na
lamang ng boarding house allowance at transportation allowance ang mga estudyante kung
THE DAY THE OBLATION STOOD STILL...
transferees unable to present proper
academic records.3
STFAP rebracketing
The UP campuses have exerted efforts
to make their adopted UPVTC students
feel at home, as well as support their
own students whose families hail from
Tacloban and have suffered losses.They
have offered free dormitory accommodation, free meals (through funds and donations provided by donors), counseling
services, make-up or enrichment classes
over the Christmas break, free tuition for
the second semester for students in the
STFAP E1 bracket as well as a monthly
stipend for those in bracket E2.
Some of the cross-registrants from
UPVTC, and some who are enrolled
in other UP campuses but who come
from Tacloban, have been rebracketed
to bracket E2 under the STFAP and
given free tuition, miscellaneous and
laboratory fees, plus a monthly stipend.
According to Pascual, the students
were rebracketed following the normal
screening and application process of
the STFAP. No automatic rebracketing to E2 took place, either among the
UPVTC students or the students among
the other campuses affected by the
typhoon. In fact, in UP Diliman, out of
the 158 students affected by Typhoon
Yolanda, only 48 were rebracketed to
kinakailangan.
5. Pagtalaga ng mga taong tutulong sa pagpapabilis ng mga
papeles para sa scholarships and
study grants sa UP Tacloban.
Ang mga panawagang ito ay nakonsolida sa pamamagitan ng mga
konsultasyon at diskusyon sa mga
Iskolar ng Bayan na nasalanta ng
bagyo at asahan ninyong sama-sama
rin naming igigiit at ipaglalaban ang
mga panawagang ito hangga’t sila’y
mabigyang tugon ng administrasyon
ng Pamantasan. Bukod sa paglapit sa
Lupon ng mga Rehente ay kinikilala
rin ng TINDOG UP na may ilang mga
panawagan din na kailangan igiit mula
sa ating gobyerno.
Q. Do you have constant communications with the students in UP
Tacloban?
Villegas: Yes, all the more that we
have to talk constantly even if communication is still difficult at this time.
One of the student council members
in UP Mindanao sent me a Facebook
message asking, what the student body
can do? I told them that this is not just
about rallies and Facebook posts but
for the student body to realize that we
have an urgent task in asserting our
right to free education. We can do it in
diplomatic way but when it ceases to
be effective, we should unite and fight.
E2; of the over 250 UPVTC students
cross-registered in UP Diliman, 108
were rebracketed to E2.4
“The bracketing was the same as
anywhere else in the UP System,” Pascual clarified. “[What the documents
said was that] those affected would
be given bracket E2—that means
financially affected. But not all were financially affected.” In UPVTC, not all
of the students enrolled there actually
come from Tacloban; some come from
neighboring cities and provinces that
were not as affected by the storm, and
some have other resources not available to the other students.
“We follow the process that is now
part of the rules for STFAP…,” said
Pascual, “because we're spending tax
money here. We can’t spend tax
money on students who don’t
need the assistance, because that
will mean we lose our capability
to provide sufficient assistance
to those who really need it.”
Rebuilding the future
For the UPVTC and the
UPM-SHS, the only way to go
is forward. Steps are now being
taken to support the UP community in Leyte in rebuilding and
rehabilitation.
Pres. Pascual addressing the UPVTC
students in Diliman during a dinner
held for them on December 3, 2013.
Photo by UPSIO
One of these steps is a proposal to
provide around P6M in calamity assistance, in the form of housing and
construction materials, to the Yolandaaffected faculty and staff of UPVTC
and UPM-SHS, to allow them to repair
or rebuild their houses.
“These houses, though, will have to
be temporary,” Pascual said. “Eventually, we expect them to be relocated to
areas declared as safe.”
The entire UPVTC campus itself
must be moved out of the danger zone,
most probably to a property of UP in
Barangay Sta. Elena, Leyte.
“That property is 113 hectares, so it
can easily accommodate the UPVTC
campus and provide land for other
settlers there, both residential and
commercial establishments, to provide
support facilities and services to the
campus. That’s the direction of resettlement, toward the mountain.”
As for the UPM-SHS, which was
reduced to a wasteland, “the thinking
based on our last President’s Advisory
Council Meeting is that we will not
rebuild the old site anymore. We will rebuild in a better location,” said Pascual.
Padayon, UP
By and large, “I think that UP and
the UP alumni have been very responsive,” said Pascual, who expressed his
appreciation for the quick and generous
response of the UP alumni and private
donors to the call for help.
In keeping with its mandate to serve
as a public service university, UP has
offered its disaster response-related
services and expertise to the government, aside from contributing to the
pool of relief goods and donations for
all the typhoon victims. “Our keeping
our students enrolled—[this is more of
a demonstration] of the value we place
on our students. But it is also in a way
public service,” Pascual pointed out.
In terms of promoting disaster risk
mitigation, the UP administration aims
to do things better. “We are conducting
seminars and training programs in each
of the campuses,” Pascual said. “We
are trying to institute a system whereby
there will be a committee in each campus that will respond to disasters. We
continue to exert effort to make sure
that we’re able to help and protect our
constituents—our students, faculty and
staff. As you know, there is no substitute for awareness and preparedness.”
NOTES:
1 The photo can be accessed at the Facebook group
Narinig Ko Sa UP (Overheard at UP) at https://
www.facebook.com/groups/NarinigKoSaUP/
permalink/10151870418168369/
2 Official Gazette. (2014 January 23 last updated).
Typhoon Yolanda. Retrieved from http://www.gov.
ph/crisis-response/updates-typhoon-yolanda/
3 Commission on Higher Education. (2013,
November 20). Memorandum from the
Chairperson: Assistance for students affected
by Typhoon Yolanda. Retrieved from http://
www.ched.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/
Assistance-for-The-Students-Affected-ByTyphoon-Yolanda.pdf
4 Numbers based on a list compiled by the UP
Diliman Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Student
Affairs.
The UP FORUM
Dr. Clarita R. Carlos
UP College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
Dr. Edna A. Co
UP National College of
Public Administration
and Governance
Dr. Emil Q. Javier
UP President (1993-1999)
BOARD OF ADVISERS
Dr. Orlando S. Mercado
UP National College of
Public Administration
and Governance
Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan
UP College of Medicine
Sec. Oscar G. Yabes
Senate of the Philippines
Prof. Luis V. Teodoro
UP College of Mass
Communication
Dr. Dante M. Velasco
UP College of Mass
Communication
Sec. Gen. Marilyn B. Barua-Yap
House of Representatives
J. Prospero E. De Vera III
Editor-in-Chief
Frances M. Cabana
Editor
Flora B. Cabangis
Managing Editor
Luis V. Teodoro
Copy Editor
Stephanie S. Cabigao
Fred E. Dabu
Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta
Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo
Writers
Arbeen R. Acuña
Graphic Artist
Celeste Ann Castillo
Llaneta
Layout Artist
KIM G. Quilinguing
Webmaster: Forum Online
Sol R. Barcebal
Researcher
Bong Q. Arboleda
Misael A. Bacani
Jun M. Madrid
Photographers
Cristy M. Salvador
Obet G. Eugenio
Alice B. Abear
Tom M. Maglaya
Victor D. Imbuido
Administrative Staff
U P S ystem Inform ati on Of fice  M ez z anine F lo o r, Qu e z on H a l l , U P D i l i m an, Q ue z on C i ty  Te l e fa x 9 2 6 - 1 57 2 , tru nk line 9 81-85 0 0 lo c . 2 5 5 2 , 25 49 , e-mail: fo r um@up.edu.ph
THE UP FORUM
16
UP FORUM
14 No. 6 November-December 2013
University
of theVolume
Philippines
Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines, 1101
APPROVED PERMIT NUMBER/INDICIA
Business Mail Permit No. 2ND-07-010-NCR Entered as Second class mail at the U.P.P.O.
Valid until December 31, 2013
Subject to Postal Inspection (for printed matter only)
Photo by UPSIO
THE DAY THE OBLATION STOOD STILL...
Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta
ficial Gazette,2 the worst hit provinces
were Leyte and Eastern Samar, which
bore the brunt of Yolanda’s 270-kph
sustained winds and 312-kph gusts, as
well as a storm surge as high as seven
meters. Entire towns and cities were
leveled, and among the casualties were
the UPVTC campus and the UP Manila
School of Health Sciences (UPM-SHS)
in Palo, both in Leyte.
Later, as UPM-SHS Dean Buddy
Dastura and members of the UP community surveyed the damage, photos of
the other stricken UP campus emerged.
Again, they were images of utter destruction. Again, amidst the wreckage,
the Oblation remained upright, standing over the remains of what had been
a vibrant place of learning mere days
ago, in quiet expectation that UP—and
the cities of Leyte and Samar—will
rise again.
There was no better symbol for UP’s
strength, resilience and spirit. Over the
months, as the UP community came
together to help in whichever way it
can, the Oblation also became an icon
of hope for both the UP and the victims
of Yolanda.
Helping hands, UP System-wide
UP responded quickly to the disaster.
On November 11, three days after
Typhoon Yolanda hit, UP President
Alfredo Pascual released a memoran-
dum directing all members of the UP
community to course their offers of
financial assistance through the UP
Foundation. Within a span of a few
days, colleges, units, offices, student
organizations, alumni associations and
individuals from all the UP campuses
collected and sent donations in cash
and kind to the affected UP campuses
and other communities.
“We sent not only food and clothing—the basic needs for relief—but
also goods that can help them cope with
[the disaster and aid them] as they try to
recover from the calamity, [such as] tarpaulin materials for temporary roofing,
flashlights, medicines,” Pascual said in
an interview with the UP FORUM.
In addition, UP Manila, whose
experts have had much experience in
disaster response, sent a Pahinungod
medical team, led by Dr. Eric Talens,
and a forensics team led by Dr. Racquel Fortun to handle the management
of dead bodies in Leyte and Samar.
Across all UP campuses, students,
faculty and staff gathered to sort and
repack relief goods and donations for
transport, while some utilized their creativity and innovation to provide for the
other needs of the victims. UP alumni
gave generously in the form of cash donations, held fund drives and networked
with national and international organizations to facilitate delivery of the relief
goods and rehabilitation assistance.
One UP for Tacloban
In a letter to the UP President, UP
Visayas Chancellor Rommel Espinosa
described the devastation wrought by
Typhoon Yolanda on Tacloban City
as “horrendous.” In UPVTC, many of
the buildings sustained major damage. Three students, Erica Antonino,
Mariel Orejola and Yasmeen Naputo;
one employee, Marjorie Cobacha; and
around 15 immediate family members
of UPVTC constituents, were killed.
Others were displaced by the storm, or
left the city when the peace and order
situation deteriorated. Life had turned
upside down, and a sense of normalcy
was painfully scarce.
Again, UP responded quickly, with
Pascual issuing a memo on November
13 instructing all chancellors plus the
dean of UP Cebu to accommodate UPVTC students who would like to crossregister in their respective campuses.
“The move enabled the UPVTC
students to start their second semester
of the current school year right away,
without waiting for the resumption
of classes in UP Visayas Tacloban,”
said Pascual. “At the same time, it
helped decongest the UP Tacloban
campus, where support facilities had
been drastically reduced, and some
areas destroyed. Nawala talaga, like
the dormitories, the sleeping quarters
of students, the boarding houses. They
were all gone, so that’s a big problem.”
According to Chancellor Espinosa’s
report, as of December 16, 510, or 39
percent of the original UPVTC student
population, have cross-registered in
other UP campuses—250 in UP Diliman, 196 in UP Cebu, two in UPLB,
53 in UP Visayas Iloilo, seven in
UP Visayas Miag-ao, and two in UP
Baguio. As of February 3, 808 undergraduate and 26 graduate students
are enrolled in UPVTC, which began
classes on January 13; only seven
students out of the expected number of
enrollees have not enrolled or are unaccounted for.
“By succeeding in attracting about
500 students out of Tacloban, we
have fewer students to worry about in
UPVTC,” said Pascual. “In the campus
itself, we have converted some areas
and rooms as temporary dormitory
facilities. So we’re in a coping mode.”
The immediate opening of UP’s
other campuses to the constituents of
UPVTC sent a positive signal across
the country. Seven days later, the Commission on Higher Education issued a
memo to all heads of public and private
higher education sectors to offer assistance by, among others, allowing
the admission of all affected enrollees/
continued on page 15

here - University of the Philippines

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