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The University of the Philippines is celebrating its one hundredth birthday. Yes, it has been a century. A century that witnessed the births of the greatest minds of this country; a century filled not only with achievements and discoveries but also with the struggles that made history and shaped the nation.

Being the premier state university and boasting of what UP President Roman calls “pre-eminence,” it is just decent if UP celebrates its centenary with a bang. The UP administration is very eager at proposing and implementing its projects, looking forward to a more glorious new century for the University.

Preparations for UP’s centenary officially began in 1998 thru Proclamation No. 1150 (hyperlink: PROCLAMATION 1150: http://www.upd.edu.ph/~up100/decade.html) of then President Fidel V. Ramos, made in the City of Manila on January 9.

Declaring the period 1998-2008 as the “University of the Philippines Decade,” the proclamation thereby directed all related government agencies and offices to extend full support and cooperation to the UP system to ensure the success of its projects and undertakings within the said decade.

Ramos recognized UP as the primary national resource for the education and training of outstanding men and women, who, according to him, have advanced the highest interests of the people through invaluable contributions to the progress and welfare of the nation.

The modernization program that UP embarked on as stated in its Strategic Plan 2008 was launched in 1998 as well, the start of the decade (1998-2008) which UP has scheduled as the start of ten years of preparation for its centennial this year.

The UP decade, as accounted in the Proclamation, will serve as “a landmark commemoration of the struggle for national independence as reflected in the achievements of the University as a community of Filipino scholars and a period of transition to a highly modernized center of learning of the new century.”

Ramos further believed that the projects and activities of the University to be undertaken during the said decade will generate tremendous positive impact on the long-term interests of the nation. That is why he enjoins both private and public sector to support the preparations.

University of the Philippines Centennial Year

After presenting the UP Plan 2005-2011 to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her cabinet on June 7, 2005, UP President Emerlinda Roman submitted her request to declare 2008 as the UP Centennial Year.

Signed by President Arroyo on September 6, 2005, Proclamation No. 913 (link: PROCLAMATION 913: http://www.ops.gov.ph/records/proc_no913.htm) declares, indeed, 2008 as the UP Centennial Year, and provides for the creation of a Centennial Commission that will administer preparations for the different activities this year.

Arroyo recognized that UP has made significant contributions to the knowledge, culture and intellectual life of the nation since its foundation in 1908 and that in order to enhance awareness of such contributions, the planned activities and festivities must be given support.

The UP Centennial Commission was thereby created, composed of 12 members who are alumni of the University appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the UP President, to formulate and implement plans for the occasion and to hold a fund raising campaign.

Arroyo also thereby directed the Postmaster General to design, print and issue a special stamp that commemorates the occasion.

She likewise granted Php100 million as support to UP’s lineup of centennial projects, thereby released by the Secretary of Budget and Management in three modes: Php 35 million each in 2006 and 2007, and Php 30 million in 2008.

Centennial Budget

In her investiture speech on July 21, 2005, Roman said the target budget for the UP Centennial is five billion pesos, half of which will come from the national government and the other half from the private sector.

She added that since Feb. 2005, the fund raising has been going on.

“All the deans and chancellors are doing the fund raising,” Roman said.

Roman said that in 2006 and 2007, 800 million pesos and “close to 400 million” pesos were added to the UP budget, respectively.

“So that’s 1.2 billion [pesos] for the two years,” she said. “Now, for this 2008, over and above the regular budget that we also got, I think we will get something like 1.5 or 1.6 billion [pesos].”

Roman said a part of the 800 million was used for the construction of the National Science Complex in the College of Science. A part of it also went to UP Visayas for the research about the Guimaras Oil Spill (hyperlink) in August 11, 2006 (hyperlink http://www.haribon.org.ph/?q=node/view/364), Philippine General Hospital and the construction of the Media Center in the College of Mass Communication.

The additional budget given in 2007, on the other hand, was mostly for scholarships for masteral students, according to Roman.

Roman said, however, that the UP administration is still waiting for the approval and release of the additional budget.

This implies that the UP budget has increased in the past two years. “We are fortunate because the government has been very receptive, because I think they see they are also doing our best to raise money, and so they are trying to match our efforts.”

Despite this increase in the budget, the tuition and other fee increases (ToFI) was implemented in July 2007 affecting incoming freshmen. From 300 pesos per unit, tuition became 1000 pesos per unit.( http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view_article.php?article_id=38628)

Moreover, the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP) was restructured, with the previous nine brackets being reduced to only five. (http://stfap2.up.edu.ph/page.php?content=bulletin)

Roman said the additional 800 million and 400 million pesos added to the UP budget in 2006 and 2007 were only for the capital outlay and do not cover the maintenance and other operating expenses.

Also, Roman said the ToFI was implemented to increase the stipends for students and for modernization.

“Kulang na kulang naman ang 1,000 [pesos] a month,” Roman said. Under the restructured STFAP, the standard stipend is 12,000 pesos per semester.

Regarding the other half of the Centennial budget, Roman said efforts are underway for it to be raised.

“On our side, we have also been doing our fund raising. By our data’s account, it’s close to a billion yung nakukuha na namin,” Roman said. These are in form of faculty development (professorial chairs), equipment donation, scholarships, donations of art pieces, research grants from private and government agencies, travel grants, among others.

Roman said this is based on reports from various UP campuses, but they are still being double-checked for accuracy of the figures.

UP is also expected to profit from the ongoing Ayala project – the construction of a Science and Technology Park along Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City. The land is leased to Ayala Land Inc.

“We get a share of the rent that they will get,” Roman said. “They plan to give us an advance [of] 100 million [pesos] also this June in commemoration of the Centennial.”

Roman said all the fund raising efforts will benefit UP. “Everything will go to UP,” she said.

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