Jose Wendell P. Capili's Blog

MANILA, Philippines – Pinoy anime fans from all over the nation are ardently waiting for July, the Philippines-Japan friendship month.


The Japanese embassy here is preparing an array of activities for the anticipated month-long festivity. As part of the celebration, the embassy is organizing a Jpop anime singing contest, as well as a cosplay competition.Such events are immensely popular in the country; Pinoy kids and adults alike are hooked on modern Japan.It seems that Japanese pop culture has carved its own space in the lives of many Filipinos.ASPIRING ARTIST. Jaymee Castillo gets her inspiration from anime.'It’s not just cute'19-year-old art student Jaymee Castillo is just one of the many young Filipinos fascinated by the beauty and intricacies of modern Japanese culture.“It is something so contagious and inescapable due to its diverse forms, from anime to cosplay, music, contemporary art, food and what-not. It’s not justkawaii which is Japanese for cute, it’s so much more,” she said.Her affair with Japan began in the late 90s. As a child, she would hurry home to watch anime on TV. But her interest did not end there. Her love for anime only jumpstarted her deeper interest in Japanese culture.Jaymee admits that she started learning how to draw by copying her favorite anime characters.“My works are highly influenced by Japanese culture in general. They are aesthetically pleasing, but have unique concepts. There’s always something new.”SELF-PORTRAIT. Jaymee's love for anime spills over her love for art.Aside from appreciating traditional Japanese art, Jaymee also frequents anime conventions, reads manga, and listens to J-Pop (Japanese pop songs).Jaymee knows that she has pricey hobbies, especially cosplaying. To support her growing interests, Jaymee relies on borrowing CDs from friends who share similar interests.“But when I was younger, sometimes I skipped recess so I can buy all my favorite anime merchandises,” she added.When asked if she will ever outgrow her love for anime, Jaymee quickly replied, “People think that I will grow tired of it because they say it’s just for kids, but it’s not. It’s a childhood love that I will keep coming back to.”Jaymee dreams of visiting Japan someday. “I want to experience in real life what I’ve been watching on TV, minus the subtitles.”Cool JapanRappler interviewed Kyoto-based professor Bernard Susser of Ritsumeikan University. He defined Japanese pop culture as the aspects of Japan that have become popular overseas. This includes sushi and other Japanese food, manga and anime, J-Pop, Hello Kitty, computer games, Pokemon, and the like.SUSHI ANYONE? Venturing into Japanese restaurants is always an adventure. Photo by Jaymee CastilloSusser said it is difficult to pinpoint an exact factor which makes it so popular. “Of course, there is always the element of the exotic; Japanese popular culture is different in many respects from other popular cultures, and in some respects it may be more well-defined than some other national popular cultures.”COSPLAY. Living a day as one's favorite character from anime or a videogame is always fun. Photo by Jaymee CastilloUniversity of the Philippines professor Wendell Capili clarified that Japanese pop culture goes beyond anime and videogames. “It is a conglomeration of Japan's residual, dominant and emergent values, issues and concerns as reflected in their music, films, television, sports and other disciplines.”Capili explained that Japanese pop culture gained much popularity in the Philippines in the 1970s due to the abundance of amusement centers featuring videogames and anime shows like Voltes V and Mazinger Z.The nation’s penchant for Japanese culture may also be traced to our history. “Many Filipinos tend to be more open to change as a result of our post-colonial experiences,” he said.Capili said that Philippine pop culture has a shorter history compared to Japanese pop culture, but this doesn’t mean that it is less significant.“Pinoy pop culture is a combination of the country's multicultural, multiethnic, multilingual experiences vis-a-vis our indigenous, mainstream, largely western, and alternative traditions in our cultures and societies,” he said.Philippines-Japan Friendship MonthCognizant of these ties and interests, the Japanese embassy is holding its 4th annual J-Pop anime singing contest and a cosplay competition.The celebration aims to promote Japanese language and culture appreciation among Filipinos and to strengthen the longstanding friendship between the two countries.Application forms are available and may be submitted at the Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC) Library, Embassy of Japan, 2627 Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City or can be downloaded at www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp. Registration has already begun and ends on June 22, about a month away.Performers must also submit an individual/group photo, a short write-up about the performer/s, and a demo CD containing two Japanese songs by the participant/s. Cosplayers must also include a 2x2 photograph, a full body photograph of them in costume and a photo of the character they are portraying. 10 performers/groups and 15 cosplayers will be invited to compete in the Grand Final on July 21 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.Winners will win prizes plus free lessons from the Nihongo Center Foundation and Center for Pop Music Philippines. –  Rappler.com For further details, please visit www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp or email jicc-mnl@ma.mofa.go.jp or call 551-5710 local 2318.


http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/5601-filipino-fascination-with-japan-goes-beyond-kawaii

The Third World Studies Center (TWSC) of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) of the University of the Philippines, Diliman invites applications from social science graduate students to participate in the 2012 TWSC Research Writeshop titled, Multidisciplinary Perspectives and Methodologies in the Social Sciences on 7-8 May 2012, at the TWSC, Lower Ground Floor, Palma Hall, University of the Philippines, Diliman.

Social Science graduate students in the proposal stage of their thesis/dissertation are invited to submit a 300-400 word abstract based on their individual research projects. Students who are not yet at the proposal writing stage may also submit abstracts based on their graduate research papers. Abstracts should clarify the substantive issues that the ongoing research project addresses. It should also provide information on objectives, theoretical framework, and methods along with an explanation on the contributions of the research to the field of study.

Interested applicants are required to submit hard copies of the following on or before 18 April 2012 at the TWSC office:

1. Abstract;

2. Completed application form downloadable from the official TWSC blog (uptwsc.blogspot.com);

3. A True Copy of Grades or a Transcript of Records; and

4. A signed, confidential letter of Recommendation from the adviser or professor.

Only completed application forms and requirements submitted on time will be considered. Successful applicants will be notified on 23 April 2012. Full funding worth P1,500.00 may be made available to selected students. Interested applicants may forward their queries to uptwsc@gmail.com under the subject heading “2012 TWSC Research Writeshop.” For more information, please visit the following TWSC blog (uptwsc.blogspot.com) or Facebook page at www.facebook.com/uptwsc.

Research Writeshop Program

DAY 1

9:00 – 9:10

Opening Remarks

Maria Ela L. Atienza, PhD

Director

9:10 – 9:40

Module 1:

Multidisciplinarity and the Social Sciences

(30 minutes)

Ma. Luisa Rebullida, PhD

Professor

UP Department of Political Science

9:40 – 10:25

Open Forum

(45 minutes)

10:25 – 10:40

Break

10:40 – 11:10

Module 2: Theories and their Applications in the Contemporary World

(30 minutes)

Randy S. David

Professor Emeritus

UP Department of Sociology

11:10 – 12:00

Open Forum

(50 minutes)

12:00 – 1:00

Lunch

1:00 – 1:30

Module 3: Current Trends in Social Science Research -

New Media and the Social Sciences

(30 minutes)

Rolando Tolentino, PhD

Professor of Film and

Dean, UP College of Mass Communication

1:30 – 2:15

Open Forum

(45 minutes)

2:15 – 2:30

Break

2:30 – 4:00

Module 4: The World At Your Fingertips: Library and Information Resource

Marian Ramos

Senior Lecturer

UP School of Library and Information Science

DAY 2

8:00 – 8:05

Background to the Workshop

8:05 – 8:35

Module 5: Research on the Ground - Ethnographic, Fieldwork and Gender Methodologies

(30 minutes)

Michael Lim Tan, PhD

Professor of Anthropology and Dean

UP College of Social Sciences and Philosophy

8:35 – 9:20

Open forum (45 minutes)

9:20 – 9:35

Break

9:35 – 10:05

Module 6: Historical Methodology and the Territory of the Historian

(30 minutes)

Milagros C. Guerrero, PhD

UP Professor of History (Retired)

UP Department of History

10:05 – 10:50

Open forum (45 minutes)

10:50 – 11:20

Module 7:

Making Numbers Intelligible

Basic and Relevant quantitative applications for research in the social sciences: types of graphs, constructing and reading graphs, trending, plotting data and interpreting statistics, sampling techniques (30 minutes)

Jose Ma. Balmaceda, PhD

Professor of Mathematics and Dean, UP College of Science

11:20 – 12:00

Open forum / exercise: Participants will demonstrate what they learned (40 minutes)

12:00 – 1:00

Lunch

1:00 – 2:00

Module 8:

Rudiments of writing: topic selection, formulating research questions and objectives, writing a review of related literature, ethical considerations in writing and research (1 hour)

Ma. Teresa Trinidad Pineda Tinio, PhD

Senior Vice President

Far Eastern University (FEU)

2:00 – 3:15

Exercise: Participants will demonstrate what they learned

(1 hr and 15 minutes)

3:15 – 3:30

Closing remarks

3:30 – 4:00

Awarding of certificates

Venue:

UPAA Board Room

2nd floor

Ang Bahay ng Alumni

Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman

(behind UP Theater)

Date:

22 August 2011 (Monday)

Time:

9:00 a.m.

PROGRAM

National Anthem

Welcome Remarks:

Regent Gladys S.J. Tiongco

President, UP Alumni Association

Message:

Dr. J. Prospero E. de Vera III

Vice President for Public Affairs

University of the Philippines

Introduction of Guest Speakers:

Dr. Jose Wendell P. Capili

Asst. Vice President for Public Affairs

Alumni Relations Director, University of the Philippines

Discussions:

Atty. Rita Linda V. Jimeno

Managing Partner, Jimeno, Cope and David Law Offices

Columnist, Manila Standard Today

2nd Vice-President, UPAA

Atty. Jose C. Sison

Lawyer / Philippine Star columnist

former host of ABS CBN 2's Ipaglaban Mo

Open Forum

UP Naming Mahal

Emcee:

Atty. Renato B. Valdecantos

Legal Counsel, UPAA

KAPIHAN NG BAYAN SA UP

A Public Service Project of The University of the Philippines System and The UP Alumni Association

The KAPIHAN NG BAYAN SA UP aims to serve as a regular forum for intelligent and constructive discussion of issues relevant to our development as a nation. In a democracy, such public discourse is a valuable tool for guiding our national leaders and all citizens as we collectively confront and attempt to resolve whatever challenges are posed by these issues.

To achieve these goals, KAPIHAN NG BAYAN SA UP shall:

Adopt a strong bias not only for airing views and opinions on issues but for uncovering relevant facts and reasoned options for policies or actions on the given issues.

Select issues that are of great national significance, i.e., those that capture great public interest, that have festered and remained controversial over a long period, or that seems too complex and insoluble.

Make available, through carefully selected resource persons and discussants, the unique strengths and resources of UP in terms of expertise in various disciplines, and in knowledge generation through scientific research.

Work for the widest possible public exposure of the forum through partnerships with print, broadcast, internet and other communications media.

UP Lingua Franca, in cooperation with the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines, sponsored by San Miguel Corporation, proudly presents:

THE BUSINESS STATE OF THE NATION: The Role of Media in a Developing Economy

Speakers: Ms. Tina Arceo-Dumlao (Philippine Daily Inquirer) and Cito Beltran (Philippine Star) Date : AUG 23, 2011 (Tuesday)
Venue : Pulungang Claro Mayo Recto (FC Conference Hall), Faculty Center, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines Diliman,
Time : 2:30-5:30 PM.

Tina Arceo-Dumlao is a journalist and desk editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. She has a Journalism degree from the University of the Philippines, and is paying the public back for her free college education by engaging in community service.

Cito Beltran is a highly-regarded writer, Philippine Star columnist, motivational speaker, and business and life consultant. He earned his BA Journalism degree from the University of the Philippines. He was the host of the Straight Talk on ANC.

Entrance to THE BUSINESS STATE OF THE NATION: The Role of Media in a Developing Economy is FREE. It is open to the public.

From UPAA board member and UP CHEAA President Dr. Evelina (Evie) G. Escudero:

The UP Home Economics Alumni Association is holding an activity entitled Damayan on 28 September 2011.

ACTIVITY: UP CHE Alumni Association Gala Night (open to non-UP and non-UP CHE alumni)

PLACE : Philippine International Trade Training Center (PTTC)

Roxas Boulevard corner Buendia Avenue, Pasay City

ATTIRE : Formal OR Semi Formal

The activity is aimed to raise funds for scholarship to help deserving students of the College of Home Economics. Damayan includes a seminar on skills enhancement in the morning, and a fashion show in the evening. The fashion show will feature creations by Filipino designers who are UP CHE alumni, including:

1. Jun Jun Ablaza

2. Eerie Angeles

3. Tracy Dizon

4. Jan Garcia

5. Joji Lloren

6. Lito Perez

7. Pidge Reyes

8. Michelle Sison


Music will be provided by the highly-acclaimed UP Singing Ambassadors under the baton of musical director and CHE (HRA) alumnus Ed Manguiat.

The UP College of Home Economics is home to students from the following academic programs:

1. BS Hotel, Restaurant & Institution Management

2. BS Food Technology

3. BS Community Nutrition

4. BS Family Life and Child Development

5. Bachelor of Science in Clothing Technology (BSCT)

6. Bachelor of Science in Interior Design (BSID)

7. Diploma in Early Childhood Development

8. Master of Family Life and Child Development

9. Master of Science in Food Science10.Master in Interior Design

11.Master in Home Economics

12.Master of Science in Nutrition

13.Ph.D in Food Science

14.Ph.D in Nutrition

15.Ph.D in Home Economics


For tickets and other details, please get in touch with


Mrs. Tess Angeles
UP Office of Alumni Relations
Fonacier Hall (Alumni Center beside Bahay ng Alumni)
Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman
Tel.: (+63)(2) 9298226 or 9818500 ext. 4251

or

The UP CHE Alumni Association
Room 108
Fonacier Hall (Alumni Center beside Bahay ng Alumni)
Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman
Tel.: (+63)(2) 9206873
Email :up_cheaa@yahoo.com



the college of home economics, u.p. diliman

The UP Diliman College of Arts and Sciences Foundation is inviting the alumni of the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Arts & Letters, the College of Science and the College of Social Sciences & Philosophy to the following activities in celebration of the centennial year of the UP College of Liberal Arts:

June 15, 2011

9:00am

Opening of Exhibit

(Galleria 1, Bulwagang Rizal/Faculty Center)

10:00am

Panel Discussion: “Revisiting the Liberal Arts and Setting the Directions for the Future"

(Pulungang Recto/ FC Conference Hall, Bulwagang Rizal/Faculty Center)

June 18, 2011

General Homecoming

(Palma Hall [formerly AS/LA] Lobby)

8:00am

Registration

9:00am

Book Launching of "Celebrating the Birth and Rebirth of the UP College of Liberal Arts"

by Ricardo T. Jose, Laura L. Samson and Gianne Sheena Sabio,

Published by the UP College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Foundation

10:30am

Lunch and Fellowship

1:00pm

Program

For inquiries and RSVP:

(+63)(2) 9205286

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As part of its centennial celebrations, the University of the Philippines College of Law will be publishing a book titled Malcolmisms, a collection of true stories and anecdotes about the experiences of faculty, students, and alumni as members of the UP Law community.

Malcolmisms will be edited by Isabelita O. Reyes, Ph.D. Reyes is former Vice President for Public Affairs of the UP System, editor of the UP System centennial coffee table book Our University After 100 Years, and a published poet teaching creative writing with UP Diliman’s Department of English and Comparative Literature.

All alumni, faculty members, and students are encouraged to submit 500-1000 word stories for consideration to malcolmisms@gmail.com. Deadline for submissions is April 15, 2011.

Intended to reveal the lighter side of life at the College of Law, the book is a happy tribute to an institution that has, for 100 years, offered quality education in law and done pioneering legal and policy research. The College has contributed to shaping the Philippines’s social and political life, and has produced quite a few presidents, vice presidents, senators, congressmen, judges and Justices of the Supreme Court.

Declared by President Benigno S. Aquino III the “University of the Philippines College of Law Centennial Year”, the year 2011 will see for various activities celebrating 100 years of excellence in law. The Centennial Celebration theme is “The College of Law and the Challenges to Philippine Law at the Beginning of its Second Century.” Dean Marvic Leonen says that the celebrations will not only be a time to commemorate the UP Law’s history but will also be a time “to renew the institution's commitment as the country's bastion of legal education and research."

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Center of International PEN (Poets, Playwrights, Essayists, Novelists) will conduct a series of teaching literature workshops in Manila and in selected regions in the Philippines this year. Called “The Literature Workshop: Teaching Philippine Literature in High School and College,” this project is geared toward retooling and upgrading the skills of literature teachers in both secondary and tertiary levels.

In the 2010 Cebu Congress, Philippine PEN passed the following resolution: “We resolve to … work more closely with the education sector, its leaders, planners and administrators, its teachers and students, and the education publishing industry, to improve literature education in the country. The Philippine PEN recognizes that literary taste is shaped in the schools, especially the public school system; it is where generations must be taught to appreciate the outstanding works of our very own writers, works that constitute the soul of our nation….”

The first lecture-workshop on teaching Philippine poetry and fiction will be held on March 25, Friday, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, at Far Eastern University’s University Conference Center in Morayta, Manila. PEN authors and university professors Gemino Abad and Danilo Francisco Reyes will be the facilitators.

The Literature Workshop is co-hosted by Far Eastern University, and supported by PEN International in UK, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

For further inquiries, please contact Philippine PEN at Solidaridad Bookstore, 531 Padre Faura St., Ermita, Manila, Philippines. Tel. (632) 5230870; Telefax (632) 5255038; email: philippinepen@yahoo.com .

“CHILE: ODES FROM THE PHILIPPINES”A Poetry Contest for Filipino Students

http://www.up.edu.ph/features.php?i=226

A Project of The Embassy of Chile and The University of the Philippines System in commemoration of the Bicentenary of Independence of the Republic of Chile, and in celebration of the rescue of 33 Chilean miners in San Jose.

Winners

1. The 34th Miner (Rene Calunsag, UP Diliman)

2. Kiss of Sunrise ( Therese Marie Villarante, Cebu Normal University)

3. Scarred Land ( Marie Celine Anastasia Socrates, UP Diliman)

Honorable Mention

4. Chile. Hope is in the heart (Mariejo Maris Sawal Ramos, UP Diliman)

5. (tie)

A) Chile in the land where the earth ends (David John Descalzo Ubera, Nueva Vizcaya State University)

B) Immured (Mirava Yuson, UP Diliman)

Prizes will be awarded on Tuesday, 1 February 2011, 6:00 p.m. at the Executive House, Pardo de Tavera near E. de los Santos St., UP Diliman, Quezon City. The event is by invitation only.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

His Excellency Professor Dr. Roberto Mayorga, Ambassador

of the Republic of Chile

Professor Emerlinda R. Roman, President of the University of the Philippines System

Honorary Chairpersons

Consul Luis Alberto Palma, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the Republic of Chile

Professor Jose Wendell Capili, Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs, UP System

Project Coordinators

Associate Professor Mercedes Planta, Deputy Director, UP System Information OfficeAssociate Professor Wystan de la Pena, Chairperson, UP Department of European Languages

Committee Members

H.E. Ambassador of the Republic of Chile Professor Dr. Roberto Mayorga (Chair)

Consul Luis Alberto Palma, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the Republic of Chile

Philippine National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose, Winner, Pablo Neruda Literary Prize from the Republic of Chile

University Professor Emeritus Gemino Henson Abad, former Vice President for Academic Affairs, UP System

Professor Emeritus Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, former Vice President for Public Affairs, UP System

Professor Isabelita Orlina Reyes, Vice President for Public Affairs, UP System

Board of Judges

RULES OF THE CONTEST – 2010

1. The contest is open from 19 September 2010 until 30 November 2010

to all Filipino students from any tertiary education (college) course except current family members of officers and employees of the Embassy of Chile and the University of the Philippines.

2. The contest has the following division and category: English Division – Poetry.

3. An entry must consist of one (1) poem of any form or length on or about the Republic of Chile—its bicentenary, people, scenery, culture and/or society and/or the emotions of the poet regarding the successful rescue operations involving 33 Chilean miners in San Jose.

4. Authors may submit only one (1) entry.

5. A work which has been awarded a prize in another contest before 30 November 2010 is not qualified for the awards.

6. All entries should be submitted through this email address:poetrychile2010@gmail.com

7. All entries should be in Rich Text Format (RTF) or in a Word Document File and should be sent as an attachment together with scanned copies of the author’s full résumé. The time of transmission should be NOT LATER THAN

12:00 m.n. of 30 November 2010

An entry will only be considered submitted if official confirmation is received through poetrychile2010@gmail.com

8. In submitting an entry, a contestant represents and warrants that the work is his own and that he has absolute ownership of all intellectual property rights thereto. If the entry is an adaptation of another author’s existing work, the contestant shall submit to the Embassy of Chile and The University of the Philippines the written consent of the author of the existing work, allowing the contestant to adapt the work, and to enter the adaptation in the contest (the Consent). The Consent shall include a clear and categorical statement that the Embassy of Chile and The University of the Philippines shall be exempt from any and all liability in the event that the adaptation is said to infringe the intellectual property rights of the author of the existing work. The Consent must be notarized and, if executed outside the Philippines, should be authenticated by the Philippine Embassy or consulate.

9. All copies should be legible and neat. Entries must be addressed by email to the Board of Judges, “CHILE: ODES FROM THE PHILIPPINES”A Poetry Contest for Filipino Students c/o The University of the Philippines System Information Office, Mezzanine, Quezon Hall, University of the Philippines, DIliman, Quezon City 1101

10. Entries submitted must comply with government policies on printed matters. Submitted copies of winning entries shall remain with, and become the property of the Embassy of Chile.

11. In order to give public access to all of the competing works presented, the author hereby grants, assigns, and transfers unto the Sponsors, the right without necessity of any payment other than the prize which may have been awarded: to publish from time to time any winning entry or selection or portion thereof as it may at its discretion determine; to designate or appoint editors to edit the work or any portion thereof to suit the demands of publication; to furnish a reasonable number of copies of all winning works to libraries; to make the works available for downloading on the Internet or other electronic media; and/or to allow students to make copies for research or in connection with their school requirements. The Sponsor shall also have the right to appoint or designate editors or directors who may edit the work or any portion thereof to suit the demands of production or exhibition.

11. The prizes, in United States Dollars, are the following:

1st Prize – United States Dollars US$ 1000

2nd Prize – United States Dollars US$ 500

3rd Prize – United States Dollars US$ 500

Honorable Mention Winners (3) – United States Dollars US$ 100

All five (6) winners will also receive two (2) round trip tickets to Cebu or Boracay, courtesy of Air Philippines and La Isla Magazine. The winning poems will be published in three languages: English, Spanish and Filipino. The anthology of poems will be launched in Chile and in the Philippines.

12. There shall be no co-winners and/or splitting of the prize money. The Board of Judges shall have the discretion not to award any prize if, in its judgment, no meritorious entry has been submitted.

14. The Embassy of Chile and The University of the Philippines have the sole right to designate the persons who shall constitute the Board of Judges in each of the contest categories. The decision of the majority of the Board of Judges in all categories shall be final.

16. All parties submitting entries are deemed to have accepted the rules of the contest, and agree to abide thereby.

ALL ENTRIES MUST STRICTLY COMPLY WITH THESE RULES.

ALL DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS MUST BE COMPLETE AT THE TIME OF SUBMISSION

***

http://www.up.edu.ph/features.php?i=226

The usually empty atrium at the University of the Philippines Office of Admissions on Tuesday was filled with students and parents, eager to see the results of the most recent entrance exams.

Even if the results had been available online just after midnight on January 3, many still preferred to see the posted results.

Roughly 13,000 senior high school students passed the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) for the 2011-2012 academic year.

The figure seems large, but taken into perspective, it represents a small percent of some 67,000 examinees who took the UPCAT in August last year.

The qualifiers are ranked according to their university predicted grade (UPG), which combines their weighted averages of high school grades and their weighted scores in the UPCAT sub-tests on language proficiency, reading comprehension, mathematics and science.

The UPCAT is a five-hour examination in English and Filipino, which many aspiring UP students prepare for seriously.

Some schools even arrange for UPCAT reviews for their students. In Quezon City Science High School (QCSHS), it is an unspoken rule that majority "should" pass the UPCAT.

Among the first people to check the list of passers were QCSHS graduates Meg Rivera and Duane Banzon, who are both in their first year at UP Diliman.

The two students were scanning the list, which was posted on several bulletin boards at the Office of Admissions.

Asked if they were looking for anyone in particular, they explained they were just looking for people they knew. "It's good to see familiar faces," they said, recalling that they themselves were ecstatic when they saw their own names on the list a year ago.

Nervous parents

Several parents were also there, nervously peering at the lists, hoping to see their children's names.

Anna Velasco, whose son qualified for a slot in the Comparative Literature program, was evidently pleased.

Apart from the relatively low tuition fees, UP is known for its good reputation.

"This is where the true life is," she says. "In UP, one does not merely survive. They get exposed to all sorts of people. They learn to live, they go through several tests. UP balances the students - they learn to question what they've learned in Catholic schools," says Velasco, who studied at the Philippine Normal University.

She shares that her eldest child also went to UP, and she is very happy that her second son will get to have the same college education.

"They have established their roots, now they have their wings," she says, adding that as a parent, she also learns from them.

Policy of democratization

Based on the university’s “policy of democratization," socioeconomic and geographic factors are also taken into consideration when ranking students.

Because of this, UP has long had a reputation for being a melting pot of cultures from all walks of life.

A few other parents looked pleased, excitedly sharing the news over their mobile phones. Some others were obviously dejected. "Hintayin na lang natin sa mail," said one father to his daughter as they walked away.

After inquiring about their options, they had been told to wait for the UPG or their university predicted grade, to see if it qualifies them for courses in other campuses.

'You deserve UP'

Micah Nazal was sitting down looking glum but brightened up when asked if she passed the UPCAT.

Nazal, who was accepted in the B.S. Economics program shares that she had been so nervous the whole day yesterday that she threw up during her Economics class.

She shares that in retrospect, it may have been a good sign after all. She actually knew the results since last night when she was woken up by her father.

"Grabe, iyak ako nang iyak," she said.

"Congrats, you deserve UP," was her best friend's message to her. Nazal shares that although she was extremely happy that she passed, she was also sad as her best friend's name was not on the list.

She shares that it had been their dream to both go to UP, even though many of their batchmates at Miriam College wanted to go to the Ateneo de Manila University, which was next door to their campus.

"First of all, ang mahal mahal na ng tuition," explains Nazal, adding that this is one way she can help her parents, who have already spent so much for her private school education.

Among her reasons for choosing UP, she lists academic freedom and the fact that UP is a microcosm of the Philippines.

Apart from the UPCAT, Nazal also took the entrance exam at the Ateneo but has already decided studying in UP. In fact, she has already memorized her student number.

Breaking the bad news

"Paano ko sasabihin sa kanya? Ayoko naman siyang umiyak," said one student who had just emerged from the growing crowd.

Albert Cuaresma had just discovered that his brother's name was not on the list, and could not bear to break the bad news.

"I want to put it gently," he says, sharing that he knows his parents will also be disappointed.

He recalls that he himself was so afraid to find out if he passed that he asked someone else to check for him. He was very happy when he learned that he had passed, despite not making it into his program of choice, which was Psychology. He ended up taking B.S. Statistics, and he says he has no regrets.

"Maganda kasi, number one. It's known for academic excellence, and compared to other schools also known for excellence, it's more affordable," he says.

Low tuition

The tuition at UP is still lower than most private schools, even with the strongly-opposed 300-percent tuition increase in 2007.

The top 50 UPCAT qualifiers are awarded Oblation Scholarships, which provide them with benefits as free tuition, miscellaneous and laboratory fees, a semestral book subsidy, and a monthly incentive and transportation allowance.

All in all, there are several reasons why students and parents are eager to be part of UP. It is the only national university in the country and UP takes pride in being the pioneer in higher education through academic excellence. – VVP, GMANews.TV