The Learning Resource Center (LRC) conducted the first active recruitment program of a tertiary education institution in the province of Batanes under the banner of the UPLB Recruitment Program for the Best and the Brightest (RPBB) on September 19 and 20, 2024.

The UP Board of Regents has mandated the LRC to sustain the RPBB and promote UPLB’s pioneering degree programs to prospective students from underserved and underrepresented communities outside the National Capital Region and CALABARZON. This is part of the university’s effort to further democratize access to UP education.

Following the Siargao Island visit on April 22, 2024, LRC brought the RPBB to Batanes. Like Siargao, Batanes had single-digit qualifiers (5) in the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) for Academic Year 2024-2025. For the UPCAT held in August 2024, only 27 Grade 11 students from Batanes took the UPCAT, the lowest since the exam resumed in 2021.

The RPBB team, composed of representatives from different colleges and units of the university, provided a comprehensive overview of UP’s admission process and UPLB’s degree programs and student services to 426 students of Batanes National Science High School (BNSHS), Mahatao National High School (MNHS), and Ivana National High School (INHS).

The delegation was the first to hold such an orientation, according to Batanes’s Department of Education Schools Division Office (DepEd SDO).

BNSHS Principal Jeffrey D. Medina, MNHS Head Teacher III Amelia A. Fadriga, and INHS Principal Carmen C. Noguera encouraged their students to maximize the four RPBB sessions and learn more about the opportunities and support services available at UPLB.

For the first session titled “WazzzUP! Why Choose UPLB?”, LRC University Research Associate Joshua Michael G. Jonas explained UPLB’s excellent academic track record, scenic environment, and outstanding alumni which make it an ideal campus of choice for college students. He also enumerated UPLB’s undergraduate and associate programs and highlighted the Centers of Excellence.

UPLB’s three pioneering programs were presented to the Batanes learners in the second session “Light Up! Discover a Course that Fuels Your Passion and Purpose.” UPLB faculty members discussed the socio-economic significance of these degree programs in the Philippine context and enumerated the various job opportunities available for successful graduates.

Prof. Veneranda A. Magpantay, college secretary of the College of Agriculture and Food Science (CAFS) emphasized the holistic learning offered by the BS Agriculture program.

College of Forestry and Natural Resources (CFNR) College Secretary Rosalie C. Mendoza highlighted how the BS and Associate of Science in Forestry programs aim to produce stewards of the Batanes islands.

Dr. Jussiaea V. Bariuan, chair of the Department of Basic Veterinary Sciences of the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), encouraged the students to consider pursuing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.

The third session, “UP Cutie! Know more about the UP College Admission Process,” was led by the UP Office of Admissions (UP OAdms) Director Francisco N. De Los Reyes, who oriented the students on the different ways to enter UP. He provided an overview of the UPCAT and the alternative options for admission to UP, such as the associate programs, appeals, and transfers, among others.

De Los Reyes also strongly enjoined the students to take the UPCAT since it is for free and the application process is easier now as it can be done online. He further explained UP’s democratization efforts by providing geographic and socio-economic equity to students from remote communities and low-income families.

In the last session, “Better Together! UPLB Scholarships, Financial Assistance, and Other Student Services,” Scholarship Affairs Officer Ivy Mary U. Selarde of the Office of Scholarships and Grants (OSG) elaborated on the financial aspects of UP education, particularly the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act or the Free Tuition Law (R.A. 10931) and its corresponding provisions and conditions.

She also presented the different financial assistance programs facilitated by the OSG, including grants-in-aid, student assistantships, student loans and claims, and private and government scholarships.

Joshua Michael G. Jonas of LRC introduced the Center’s 12 student support programs and services, and briefly discussed the dormitory services offered by the Office of Student Housing.

The RPBB sessions also invited alumni of the three national high schools who graduated from UPLB to give their testimonies and share their experiences in facing the challenges of studying at UP. These alumni returned and served in their respective fields in the province after graduating from their programs.

BNSHS alumna Rhodora H. Domingo, DVM, pursued her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at UPLB and returned to Basco to serve as the Municipal Agricultural Officer. BS Computer Science graduate Araceli G. Puño, now a Supervising Science Research Specialist at the Department of Science and Technology in Batanes, urged MNHS students to foster their personal growth and professional development in UPLB. Ivana’s Municipal Civil Registrar and BA Sociology alumna Angeline R. Batallones also shared her commitment to support INHS students in applying for the UPCAT and getting settled in UPLB.

The UPLB Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, represented by University Extension Specialist Kathe Lyn L. Tamisin also coordinated with municipal authorities to explore the potential conduct of an Affirmative Action Program (AAP) in Batanes to complement the RPBB, and prepare the Grade 11 students in taking the next UPCAT examination in 2025 by providing review sessions and mock exams simulating the actual UPCAT.

LRC intends to conduct the next RPBBs in other provinces with single-digit UPCAT qualifiers such as in Region 2 as determined by the UP OAdms. (Joshua Michael G. Jonas & Jennina Marie M. Mora)