Siftings
Thoughts on UP as The National University of the Philippines
In this issue, I would like to share some insights gained from lectures about the University of the Philippines, its position as the State University, and its new Charter, now known as RA 9500 which refers to UP as "The National University". So the question may be asked: What is the difference between a state university (and there are numerous state U's and colleges in the country sharing the same honor and prestige and budget) and a National University?
Let me tell you first about these lectures, called The Centennial Lecture Series instituted this year in honor of the UP's Centennial and designed to assess the University's policies, achievements, growth, plans, etc., vis-à-vis its mandate as a modern university to help in the development of the country. This series is subtitled: "UP: View From Inside" and "UP:View From Outside" respectively. The individual lectures, of which 22 have already been delivered from UP Diliman, with one from UP Baguio, are beamed to receptor sites across the length and breadth of the UP System, to enable audiences in all the constituent universities (CUs) to participate actively and react with immediacy to the lecture. The video streaming allows faculty, students, staff, alumni and guests of the different CUs, namely: UP Manila, UP Baguio, UP Los Banos, UP Open U, UP Visayas-Cebu, UP Visayas-Tacloban, UP Visayas-Iloilo, and UP Mindanao, to be part of this academic and intellectual enterprise, and somehow share questions and insights as they react to the lectures. Barring technical difficulties and weather conditions, the experience has been enlightening, and can be even electrifying, giving rise to more questions and insights after the lectures are over. The least one can say about these lectures is that they are boring, because they are far from that! The lecturers that I have been privileged to listen to are Prof. Randolph David and Dr. Washington Sycip, whose analyses of UP's role in the building of our nation are the most thought-provoking I have ever met so far. In the follow-up to this week's column, I will try to share some of their ideas with you.
This week the lecture was focused on the "State of the Nation's Health" by former Secretary of Health, Dr. Alberto Romualdez, known to his friends in college days as Quashi. Next week's lecture will be focused again on the medical profession, as Dr. Ernesto Domingo, former Chancellor of UP Manila, reads his lecture on the vision vs. mission of the college he used to lead.
Because of time and health constraints, I have to make this column a short one. Technically, I came up with two columns in last week's installment of "Siftings', when I gave a double review of the two most popular blockbuster films of the season! But allow me to share a personal thought as I rationalize why I should discuss the state of the UP's affairs with my readers. The UP is ready to move on as The National University of the Philippines. As such, it is now, more than ever, the university of the people of the Philippines. Therefore, its concerns should concern you, dear readers and countrymen, even though you don't have a child, nephew, grandchild or any other relative studying within its units. I shall endeavor to explain, in Part II of this column, why all of us should be concerned and involved in the aims and aspirations of the National University of the Philippines. For now, let me just invite you to the next lecture of the UP Centennial Lecture Series this coming Tuesday or Wednesday (the final date will be announced by coming Monday), usually beamed at 2:00 pm, at the 3rd floor of the GCEP Bldg of the UP Visayas city campus. Let's update ourselves about the health concerns of our nation. Our national health may just be, in the final analysis, our gateway to our national wealth, since we seem to have given away to foreigners most of our natural resources, even our human resources. But if the Health remains with us, then we still have our Wealth.