TOWARDS A UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

FOR ALL FILIPINOS

BY: PROF. LEONOR MAGTOLIS BRIONES

Second Forum on the U.P. Presidency

U.P. Diliman
September 24, 2010

Introduction

Good afternoon, magandang hapon, naimbag na adlaw, maayong hapon kaninyong tanan, maayo
gid nga hapon ug maupay nga hapon! As an adopted member of the Bagobo Tribe with the rank of
Bae, let me greet all of you, “Mappiyon mapon kaninyo langon tu UP!”

I was a nineteen-old graduate student on a research fellowship when I first entered U.P. That was
fifty years ago. I have not left since then. I started as a project research assistant and am now a full
professor. In between I was Secretary to the Commission on Audit, Vice-President for Finance and
Administration of the University and Treasurer of the Philippines. I have never stopped teaching.

Ang pinakamahalagang bagay na natutunan ko sa UP ay ang pagmamahal at pagsisilbi sa bayan.

Bale wala ang malawak na karunungan kung hindi ito ginagamit para sa kapwa Pilipino, para sa
bayan.

Vision Statement

My vision is that of a University of the Philippines which is at the cutting age of innovation,
invention and change, whether it be in science and technology, the social sciences, culture, literature
and the arts. I see it pushing forward the frontiers of knowledge, and using this knowledge in the
service of all Filipinos and of the country.

The pursuit of academic excellence

The UP is the leading institution of higher learning in the country. It attracts the best and brightest
students, boasts of a competent faculty and leads in all fields of learning.

The university’s performance in licensure examinations, as well as the quality of our graduates in
different academic fields is well established.

Nonetheless, the Charter’s mandate about UP being a graduate as well as research university
requires serious strategizing. All of our CU’s offer graduate studies, most often in similar fields.
The uneven content and substance of these offerings require constant assessment in terms of
relevance and rigor.

Our journey towards establishing ourselves as a research university. Again, research outputs among
CU’S are uneven. Strengthening the research capacities of the universities calls for a
thoroughgoing review of our academic programs, as well as massive mobilization of human,
material and financial resources.
Serving the country and contributing to national development

The university has a long tradition of community service, provision of expertise and significant
contributions to national development. It has provided a large number of the country’s political
leaders, great thinkers, scientists, artists, critics and dissenters as well.

All our CU’s render assistance to communities, local governments and national institutions. Many
of these patriotic contributions are unheralded, unnoticed, uncounted, and if I may say, underpaid or
even unpaid.

Periodic assessments of these contributions can be made and different experiences shared so the
wheel need not be reinvented and successful innovations can be replicated.

The UP Charter mandates the university to “regularly study the state of the nation in relation to its
quest for national development…and give advice and recommendations to Congress and the
President of the Philippines." My vision is that of a UP which will conduct a comprehensive review
on an annual, biennial basis which will involve all the constituent universities.

Responding to changing demands

I envision an agile UP responding to changing demands and expectations. For example, it can
contribute significantly to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. The target date is
2015. Thus far the targets on poverty, health-particularly infant and maternal mortality-education,
nutrition and dreaded diseases are at risk.

Beyond MDGs, we have the threats of climate change, a looming fiscal crisis, intractable problems
of governance, an economy plagued by unemployment and inequality, and urgent issues of justice
and peace.

The University, with its 258 undergraduate and 438 graduate programs, 3,648 faculty members,
10,394 administrative and research personnel, and more than 50,000 of the brightest young people
in the country is the richest resource which can be utilized to help solved our multiple crises.

During the first forum last Monday, I specifically mentioned U.P. Los Baños and its enormous
capacity for contributing to national development. Let’s look at UP Diliman this time. Any
president can name any national problem and you can be sure there is a college or unit which has
the professional capacity to respond with analyses and recommendations.

Are we looking for answers to persistent poverty? We have no less than 7 colleges and units in the
Management and Economics cluster who can help search for the answers. Corruption and other
governance problems? NCPAG, College of Social Science and Philosophy, the Department of
Political Science can help in understanding the terrible blight. The deteriorating state of education?
Our own College of Education which can lead the search for answers.

The other CU’s are just as capable of responding to escalating demands for UP excellence.
Financial autonomy for the university

We know that sustainability of financial resources from government cannot be assured. The budget
for UP from the general fund this year is Ph7,230,872,000. The proposed general fund budget for
2011 is Ph5,525,844,000. This is because there is no more provision for capital outlay.

The immediate need of UP is for more funds for MOOE maintenance, operating and other
expenditures. We may have more buildings but if we don’t have funds to repair, maintain and keep
our facilities in working condition, the university will deteriorate and our faculty and staff can’t
deliver services effectively.

The challenge is for UP to tap more sources of financing. In addition to the proposals in the
National Expenditure Program, legislators can still provide for additional allocations as long as they
identify the sources of financing. These include unremitted dividends of government corporations to
the government, fees like the Motor Vehicles User Charge which is not included in the budget,
proceeds from privatization and unprogrammed funds.

Properties and resources of the UP can be pooled and developed. New products and projects can be
developed for alumni to tap.

Perhaps this is where my experience in financing public institutions, as well as civil society
organizations can be of much use.

Democratizing Access

The biggest economic and social challenge faced by the country is persistent poverty. Even as the
economy grows, poverty grows as well.

The poorest regions, the poorest provinces and the poorest municipalities are in the Visayas and
Mindanao. It is a known fact that a significant number of the poorest Filipinos are from indigenous
people and Muslim communities.

The university can make UP education available to the IPS, Muslims and the very poor.
The Charter itself is against discrimination.

Closing Statement

Academic excellence is a primary pursuit which has to be balanced with service to the country and
responsiveness to its changing demands and expectations. However, it can only be attained with
sustainable financial, material and human resources. Most important of all, the UP must not be a
university only for those who can afford to pay increased tuition fees and the limited number who
can be accommodated through affirmative action.

It has to continually strive to be a University of the Philippines for all Filipinos, especially for the
disadvantaged and the excluded.