IT’S awards time again this year for outstanding alumni of the University of the Philippines Cebu (UPC), the youngest constituent university of the UP System.
Initiated and launched by the UP Alumni Association (UPAA), Cebu Chapter, the prestigious “Tatak UP” awards were first launched in 2011 and are given out every two years.
Awardees are chosen for their exemplary contributions to the Cebu community, leadership and expertise, and demonstration of social conscience.
Nominees’ achievements have to show Cebu as beneficiary (for at least three successive years) by way of giving back to their roots. Nominees are either based in Cebu or regularly do business or render service in Cebu.
The nominees are initially processed and screened by the Search and Awards Committee. Final decision is made by a panel of judges, all alumni from the entire UP System, and known for their credibility, probity and integrity.
Nominees may be recommended for any of eight categories: (1) Law, public service and governance; (2) Business and entrepreneurship; (3) Arts, design and culture;(4) Science and technology (including ICT); (5) Education; (6) Public health and medicine; (7) Media and communication; and (8) Social change and advocacy.
Under Social Change and Advocacy are poverty alleviation and human development, peace and social cohesion, gender equality or women empowerment, community empowerment, environmental conservation and sustainable development, and institutional or corporate social responsibility.
To date, the “Tatak UP” statuette has been given to 75 awardees since the start of the awards. In 2015 the twelve awardees were artists Bien Fernandez, Lucien Letaba, Allan Nazareno and Joel Oporto; orthosurgeon-innovator and now Cebu Provincial Health Officer Dr. Rene Catan, government officials Joel Garganera, Eufracio Maratas Jr., and former Ambassador Esteban Gochan.
Also awarded were ICT entrepreneur Wilson Ng, educator Cecilia Conaco, Christine Ruedas for community-based rehabilitation volunteerism, and local history/folklore writer Azucena Pace.
“Tatak UP” was also given posthumously to Dr. Gaudencio Hermosisima in 2013 for public health and medicine.
Who can be nominated? For starters, all UP graduates. Also those who earned at least 30 academic units of collegiate or graduate degree. Those in medicine must have finished at least three years of studies.
Also qualified are UP faculty members who, though non-UP graduates, taught for at least five years within the U.P. System, as well as those who finished short-term courses in any U.P. program.
Any individual, group or organization may nominate the deserving for this year’s “Tatak UP” awards. Forms are available with UPAA secretary Angelie Nellas, and at the UP Press Bookstore c/o Dr. Madrileña de la Cerna.
Soft copies may be obtained from mdelacerna2001@yahoo.com, upaacebu@gmail.com, egumalal@up.edu.ph, and parchaconsultancy@gmail.com. Deadline for submission of nominations is October 31 this year.