At least seven faculty members serve as presidents of professional and academic associations in the country. This may be because service is deeply ingrained into a UP faculty member’s mind. In our list are the following:

Dr. Jezie A. Acorda, Philippine Association of Veterinary Medicine Educators and Schools (PAVMES). He is the dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, where he is a full professor at the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Gifu University, and a Master of Agriculture from Obihiro University, Japan. He has published more than 120 journal articles covering ultrasonography, acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, and blood biochemistry in domestic and wild animals.

Dr. Acorda is PAVMES president from 2022 to 2024. PAVMES was established in 2004 to unite the 24 veterinary colleges in the Philippines “into a single, vital, and dynamic association.” Its activities seek to uphold excellence and quality in veterinary instruction, research, community extension, production, resource generation and utilization, and information data management in the country.

Prince Kennex R. Aldama, Philippine Sociological Society (PSS). As assistant professor, he teaches political sociology and sociology of religion at the Department of Social Sciences (DSS)-CAS. He obtained his MA and BA Sociology (cum laude) from UPLB, and currently serves as the program coordinator for curriculum development at the Office for Institutional Development in Higher Education (OIDHE). He has authored textbooks for college students, and has written op-ed articles for Rappler and the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Aldama is PSS president from 2021 to 2022. PSS was established in 1953 to encourage and disseminate the study and discussion of affairs in sociology and related social sciences. It publishes annually the Philippine Sociological Review, a research journal accredited by the Commission on Higher Education.

Dr. Ariel L. Babierra, Mathematical Society of the Philippines (MSP)-CALABARZON Chapter. He is an associate professor at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics-College of Arts and Sciences, and chair of the Curriculum Committee at Mathematics Division. He also serves as the Quality Assurance Officer of the Graduate School. He obtained his PhD Mathematics from UP Diliman. His research interests are in Approximation Theory, Combinatorics, and Graph Theory.

Dr. Babierra is the president of the MSP CALABARZON from 2022 to 2024. MSP CALABARZON was founded in 2010 at UPLB. It is composed of mathematics practitioners and enthusiasts in the academe and research institutions. It aims to promote the interest and awareness of mathematics and its applications; to seek and promulgate knowledge in mathematics and mathematics education; and to promote mathematics research in the country. It conducts seminars, workshops and trainings for mathematics educators, researchers, and students.

Mark Lester M. Chico, Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE). He is the director of the UPLB Office of Public Relations, and an assistant professor who teaches community broadcasting and multimedia courses at the College of Development Communication. A holder of MS and BS Development Communication (cum laude) from UPLB, he is a radio, television, online program, and events host, producer, and director. He is the founder of Gandingan: The UPLB Isko’t Iska’s Multimedia Awards. 

Director Chico leads PACE from 2021 to 2023. PACE is committed to pushing for policies that are responsive to the needs of local and national academic and industry-based communities, adapting to changes by continuously capacitating its members in navigating toward rehumanizing communication education amid technological dependency, caring for one another as they safeguard their health and welfare, and empowering their sector by providing opportunities for collaboration and development of their crafts and expertise. Among its founders was the late Professor Emeritus Nora C. Quebral, known in the communication circles as the “Mother of Development Communication.” PACE was created in 1975.

Dr. Emmanuel Ryan C. de Chavez, Malacological Society of the Philippines, Inc. (MSPI). He is an associate professor at the Animal Biology Division, Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, and conducts research on tropical malacology, community ecology, evolutionary biology, and developmental ecotoxicology. He is the curator for mollusks at the Museum of Natural History, and holds a PhD in Life Sciences from Tohoku University, Japan.

Dr. de Chavez is the president of MSPI from 2021 to 2023. It aims to promote the science of Malacology to scientists, teachers, researchers, students, and mollusk enthusiasts. It regularly conducts national conventions and workshop-trainings to advance the field in the country. The MSPI was founded in 1980 by malacologists, zoologists, and parasitologists from UP Diliman, UP Manila, and the then Ministry of Health (now the Department of Health).  

Julie Aiza L. Mandap, Philippine Phytopathological Society (PPS), Inc. She heads the Pest Biology and Biodiversity Division of the Institute of Weed Science, Entomology, and Plant Pathology of the College of Agriculture and Food Science. She finished MS Plant Pathology (highest distinction) at Iowa State University, USA, and is a member of the American Phytopathological Society, and the Iowa and Philippine Chapters of the Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Society of Agriculture.

PSS, Inc. was organized by plant pathologists from UPLB in 1963. Its activities focus on extending plant pathology to the community, providing assistance through training, consultation, disease diagnosis, and support to activities related to managing plant diseases. It is one of the six professional associations under the Pest Management Council of the Philippines. Asst. Prof. Mandap is PSS president from 2022 to 2023.

Dr. Maria Ana T. Quimbo, Philippine Association of Agri-vironment Educators and Entrepreneurs, Inc. (PASSAGE). She is a professor and a UP Scientist II at the Institute for Governance and Rural Development of the College of Public Affairs and Development. A holder of PhD Education from UP Diliman, she currently chairs the same program at the UP Open University. Her research focuses on evaluation studies in distance education, e-learning, education policy and practice, curriculum studies, and community development, among others.

Established in 1981, PASSAGE members include educators and researchers, environmentalists, entrepreneurs, extension workers, administrators and policymakers, and students of agriculture, environment, and entrepreneurial education. It holds the PASSAGE Biennial Convention and International Research Conference and publishes the PASSAGE Journal. Dr. Quimbo is PASSAGE president from 2022 to 2024. (Mark Jayson E. Gloria)