UPLB’s 46th Commencement Exercises is going to be a double celebration - the conferment of degrees upon 2,450 candidates for graduation and the Doctor of Laws upon Senator Cynthia A. Villar, who is also the guest speaker.

The Class of 2018, 2,450 all in all, is led by Paul Joshua C. Marquez, BS in Agriculture, summa cum laude. Thirty five and 223 will also graduate magna cum laude and cum laude, respectively.

Out of 2,450, 389 are graduate degree candidates, 83 of whom will earn their doctoral while 306, their master’s degree.

The graduation ceremonies that will be held at the DL Umali Freedom Park will also highlight the conferment of the Doctor of Laws upon Sen. Villar, which was approved by the UP Board of Regents at its 1335th meeting on May 31, 2018.

Sen. Villar is known for her staunch championship of the cause of Philippine agriculture through legislative initiatives that promote the sugar industry, prevent illegal fishing and large-scale smuggling of agricultural products, and develop farm tourism.

She led in implementing projects on urban gardening, organic farming, and sustainable agriculture and agro-ecology to ensure food security, nutrition improvement, and poverty reduction among small farmers and fisher folks.

Some of the laws that she helped enact are: RA 9178 – the Barangay Micro Business Enterprises Act of 2002; RA 9231 - An Act for the Elimination of Child Labor of 2003; RA 9262 - Anti-violence Against Women and Children Act of 2004; RA 9208 - Anti-Trafficking of Persons Act of 2003; RA 9710 - Magna Carta of Women Act of 2009; and RA 9257 – Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2003.

She also led in pushing for the passage of important legislations in education such as RA 9500 – The UP Charter of 2008; RA 10650 – Open Distance Learning in Tertiary  Education Act of 2014; and RA 10687 – The Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education Act of 2015.

The conferment of the honorary degree also recognizes Sen. Villar’s work on to anti-poverty projects that promote self-reliance and productivity such as the livelihood project under Sagip Ilog program of Las Piñas, which received the Best Practice Award for Outstanding Contribution Towards Improving the Living Environment from the United Nations Human Settlements Program, the Dubai International Award, and the United Nations Best Practice Award for Best Water Management Practices. (Josephine M. Bo)

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UPLB alumnus and UP Regent Francis C. Laurel is the guest of honor and keynote speaker at the Graduate School’s (GS) Hooding and Recognition Ceremonies on June 22, at 6:00 PM, at the DL Umali Freedom Park.

The GS Class of 2018 has produced 306 master’s and 83 doctoral degree holders. UPLB will confer the degrees to them and present academic regalia to PhD graduates, as well as honor the top five outstanding graduates at both levels during the program.

Regent Laurel earned his BS Agriculture (BSA), magna cum laude, from UPLB in 1969. He was part of the third batch of BSA students who majored in agricultural business through the then UP College of Business Administration (now Cesar EA. Virata School of Business) at Diliman. It is the precursor of the BS Agribusiness Management offered by the College of Economics and Management.

He later pursued his Master of Business Administration at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is the president of Toyota Batangas City, Inc., Toyota Camarines Sur, Inc., and the Philippines-Japan Society,  Inc. He is also the past president and chief executive officer of YKK Philippines, Inc.

Regent Laurel was appointed to the UP Board of Regents by President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Nov. 14, 2016. Last year, he was named as the UPLB Alumni Association Presidential Awardee. In his message of acceptance, Regent Laurel attributed to UPLB his values of honor and excellence.

“These two have become the centerpiece of my life. I have viewed them as guides in all my decisions and strategic plans. Honor and excellence have become my formula for success,” he said. (Mark Jayson E. Gloria, with information from www.up.edu.ph)

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“Pagkaraan ng isang daan at siyam na taon (After 109 years), UPLB remains relevant to this day. In fact, hindi lang po relevant – pinaka-relevant (it is not only relevant, but most relevant). Not just because of its niche areas, but because it continues to adapt to the changing needs and demands of our people and the rest of humanity.”

This was how UP President Danilo L. Concepcion described UPLB’s role in society as the University celebrates its 109^th anniversary. President Concepcion was the keynote speaker at the Foundation Day Convocation and Awarding Ceremonies on March 6 at Baker Hall.

President Concepcion recognized the wide array of products that resulted from UPLB’s research and underscored how the study of agriculture has helped provide safe, nutritious, sustainable, affordable, and abundantly available food to the people. “Hindi po natin matatawaran ang pananaliksik na ngayon ay ginagawa dito sa UPLB (We cannot discount the research that UPLB conducts today),” he said.

He acknowledged the role of UPLB’s human resources in the level of excellence that the University has achieved, and commended the 2018 awardees’ honor and excellence in their service inside and outside the University.

During the event, 14 outstanding personnel and research and extension teams of the University were honored. In the words of Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. “they are members of the UPLB family who give more of themselves in fulfillment of UPLB’s mission.”

The 2018 outstanding personnel and team are the following:

OUTSTANDING TEACHERS. (2^nd, 4^th, and 5^th from L) Dr. Michelle Grace V. Paraso (biological sciences); Dr. Benjamina Paula G. Flor (social sciences and humanities); and Asst. Prof. Katrina Joy M. Abriol-Santos (physical sciences), join President Concepcion (center) on the stage. Flanking them are Asst. Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Julieta A. Delos Reyes and Chancellor Sanchez.

OUTSTANDING RESEARCHERS AND EXTENSIONIST. (2^nd, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th from L) Outstanding researchers Asst. Prof. Jason R. Albia (junior faculty, natural sciences); Eldrin DLR. Arguelles (junior REPS, natural sciences); Dr. Antonio G. Lalusin (senior faculty, natural sciences); Asst. Prof. Karen P. Quilloy (junior faculty, social sciences); and Dr. Dinah Pura T. Depositario (senior faculty, social sciences); and (3^rd from L) outstanding extensionist Asst. Prof. Glenn N. Baticados, together with (1^st, 4^th, and 9^th from L) Asst. Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension Glenn S. Lubuguin, President Concepcion, and Chancellor Sanchez.

OUTSTANDING RESEARCH TEAM. The Fruit and Shoot Borer Resistant Eggplant Research Team of the Institute of Plant Breeding, led by Dr. Desiree Hautea (9^th from L) join Asst. Vice Chancellor Lubuguin, President Concepcion, and Chancellor Sanchez on the stage (6^th, 10^th, and 11^th from L, respectively), together with CAFS Dean Enrico P. Supangco (back).

OUTSTANDING EXTENSION TEAM. The National Crop Protection Center Quick Response Team, led by Dr. Bonifacio Cayabyab (5^th from L), together with Asst. Vice Chancellor Lubuguin, Dean Supangco, President Concepcion, and Chancellor Sanchez (2^nd, 3^rd, 6^th, and 11^th from L, respectively).

OUTSTANDING ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF. (2^nd, 3rd, and 5^th from L) Adora M. De Castro (technician/craftsman); Divinia B. Padua (office personnel); and Jenette Lory P. Tamayo-Estabillo (supervisor) are joined by (1^st, 4^th, and 6^th from L) Vice Chancellor for Administration Crisanto A. Dorado, President Concepcion, and Chancellor Sanchez.

Dr. Benjamina Paula G. Flor, associate professor from the College of Development Communication and outstanding teacher in social sciences and humanities, delivered the response on behalf of the awardees. She cited the sacrifices and efforts that UPLB teachers have done to ensure that UPLB students will learn best and become successful when they graduate. (Mark Jayson E. Gloria)

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Drones, unmanned vehicles that roam the skies, can record breathtaking sceneries from a whole new vantage points. They have taken over media production, from the news to the big screen with their high-quality imagery, garnering quite a number of enthusiasts from all over the country.

A group of professors from UPLB share the same fascination for these flying machines, but not for the same reasons.

Since 2016, Prof. Danilo Mercado and his colleagues at the Institute of Computer Science (ICS) and Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics (IMSP), have been teaching robotics to students to aid agriculture and the environment.

Testing the skies

“Since drones are capable of processing digital images, we have been exploring their potential to determine agricultural crops’ nutritional deficiencies, stress, lack of water, and many other problems being faced by our local farmers,” said Prof. Mercado.

“If we can point these out as early as possible, we also have a better chance to come up with remedies. I believe this is something that would greatly lessen the losses of our farmers,” he added. 

The UPLB professors have also been trying to develop the drone’s application to determine whether the right crops are planted in areas based on crop suitability maps, to monitor farm productivity and characterize plant nutrition. They have already submitted a proposal to the Department of Agriculture to start an Agricultural Drone Academy to further develop applications of drone technologies for farming and to train potential users.

Testing the waters

From the skies, the team also dove into building water crafts that take water samples to keep track of lake temperatures, pH and oxygen level, and other important data.

Mercado gives it emphasis as he explains that it will soon be an essential tool in the early detection of fish kill. “It serves as a water quality sensor and an early warning device for fisherfolks.” Together with other UPLB professors and students, he plans to test the boat in Taal Lake, which has recorded numerous fish kill incidents in the past resulting to millions of pesos in losses.

In the long run, the team would also like to develop an image processing remotely operated underwater vehicle that could assess coral reefs and determine the classification and quantity of each.

Hand in hand

“Robotics is a collective and multi-disciplinary effort, it is at its best when it is done through a collaboration of different experts,” Mercado said.

Dr. Nelio Altoveros, a professor at IMSP, spearheads the initiative to establish the UPLB Robotics and Instrumentation Study Center that aims to conduct researches on robotics application for agriculture and to train professionals and students from all over the country.

The center, once functional, would propose studies on technologies such as farm drone application, automation of irrigation, and GPS-guided machines like driverless tractors.

Other than this initiative, UPLB has already been active on other on-going projects related to robotics agricultural and environmental application.

Applications

UPLB, through Project SARAI or Smarter Approaches to Reinvigorate Agriculture as an Industry in the Philippines, has developed multi spectral drone system and uses free satellite images from NASA and the European Union to monitor farming areas to determine crop status and crop health. It also estimates actual damage after typhoons and other natural disasters.

Meanwhile, the Phil-LiDAR 1 project produced high resolution maps that show the extent of flooding across major rivers in the country. This is done using aircrafts equipped with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) which scans and reflects the Earth’s surface and its features to a sensor.

“Our dream is to be able to tap these existing applications from the university and also to come up with new concepts. Once we package all these technologies, we might even be able to convince more young people to venture into farming and environment protection,” a hopeful Mercado shares his ambition.

Right now, these robotics experts from UPLB are focused on building mature technologies for the future — the robots of tomorrow to secure food production and preserve our natural resources. In the end, there is still a lot of work to be done but a vision has been set and the sky’s the limit. (John Glen S. Sarol)

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UPLB is now preparing to undergo an on-site institutional assessment by the European Union Support for Higher Education in the ASEAN Region (EU-SHARE) on Feb 5-6. The assessment is part of the University’s thrusts towards becoming an internationally recognized competitive research and graduate university.

The assessment is expected to help enhance the capacity of the University in taking charge of its internal quality assurance system by identifying points and recommendations for development. This is in line with EU SHARE’s aim to strengthen regional cooperation, enhance the quality, competitiveness, and internationalization of ASEAN higher education institutions and students.

UPLB is the first UP campus and the only public university in the Philippines to undergo the assessment. In preparation for the event, UPLB conducted the “Higher Education Assessment for Relevance, Towards Sustained Institutional Excellence: An Orientation” (HEARTS) seminar among administrative and academic unit heads in June 7 to 8, 2017. The seminar stressed the importance of institutional quality assessment and was also a preparation for UPLB’s self-assessment report which will be the basis for the EU SHARE on-site visit.

UPLB will be evaluated in a series of interviews with its faculty, personnel, officials, students, and alumni. The EU SHARE assessors for UPLB are Dr. Agus Setiabudi, from the Indonesia University of Education; Dr. Jacques Lanares, vice rector of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland; Dr. Chavalit Wongse-ek from Mahidol University; and Dr. Oliver Vettori  from Vienna University of Economics and Business. (JJSArana)

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