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University_of_The_Philippines_seal.svg.png

November 19, 2020

Written by UP Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs

The University of the Philippines is an educational institution. The University’s core mission is knowledge and innovation creation, production, and dissemination, using various approaches of knowledge transfer. UP does not recruit for the communists as this is not its mission.

The University of the Philippines has played a critical role in training the professionals, high-level specialists, scientists and researchers who are needed by the country to generate new knowledge in support of development needs and goals.

With its critical mass of experts in a comprehensive range of disciplines, UP has contributed much in terms of research and technologies. During the past months of the pandemic alone, UP mobilized its multidisciplinary research expertise to address multiple COVID-19-related imperatives. For instance, it had more than 200 projects focusing on the molecular biology and clinical features of the virus; clinical trials on and evaluation of treatment (e.g., convalescent plasma); infection control measures; development of a COVID-19 testing kit; projections on the state of transmissions based on LGU data, and municipal/city density mapping of current active cases; engineering solutions (e.g., prototype adult ventilators, disinfectants and decontamination through different means); the development of apps (e.g., apps for more efficient case-finding and monitoring, job risk calculators for the workplace); and analysis of the pandemic’s socio-economic impacts (e.g., effects on the supply chain), among many others.

UP is present as well in all branches of government. In the executive branch, 15 members of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s cabinet graduated from UP. Several of them were/are still in our faculty, such as Secretaries Herminio “Harry” Roque Jr., Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Leonor “Liling” Magtolis-Briones, Fortunato “Boy” dela Peña, CHEd Commissioner J. Prospero “Popoy” de Vera III, Wendel Avisado, and Joel Joseph Marciano, Jr.

The University of the Philippines values academic freedom—the freedom to think, to speak, to study, to teach, and even the freedom to disagree. UP encourages critical thinking which, at times, may manifest as an attitude of dissidence and anti-authoritarianism. UP cannot be said to be anti-government because its mandate is clear: UP is the national university. Its community of scholars is dedicated to the nation’s quest for development. And so, UP will continue to lead as a public service university by providing service to the nation including scholarly and technical assistance to the government, the private sector, and civil society.

The University of the Philippines continues to serve the country and humanity in a myriad of ways, and its faculty, students, staff and alumni, who represent the country’s best and brightest, continue to uphold its principles of honor and excellence in the service of the Filipino people.

— Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, University of the Philippines