University of the Philippines Alumni Explain Why the UP-DND Accord Matters and Why You Should Care
SAN FRANCISCO, February 3, 2021 – The public who have been wondering what the buzz is about the abrogation of the University of the Philippines and the Philippine Department of National Defense agreement (1989 UP-DND Accord) can now get a front-row seat to an extensive discussion on the topic at the webinar: In Defense of U.P. – A Digital Dialogue on the Abrogation of the 1989 UP-DND Accord – presented by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of San Francisco (UPAASF).
In Defense of U.P. will be a zoom webinar scheduled on February 7, Sunday, at 5:00 P.M. (Pacific-US)/ 8:00 P.M (EST) (February 8, Monday, at 9:00 A.M. PHT Manila). The webinar features a distinguished panel who will shed light on the issues surrounding the accord and its unilateral annulment.
U.P. Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo will provide context on the 32-year accord between the University of the Philippines and the Philippine government governing military and police operations on U.P. campuses, and recent developments surrounding the unilateral termination of this agreement by the Philippine Department of National Defense on January 15, 2021.
Atty. Ruben Carranza, senior expert for Programs at the International Center for Transitional Justice and former Editor-in-Chief of The Philippine Collegian, will share his direct role in the creation of the Accord. Carranza helped negotiate the 1989 UP-DND agreement after his staffer at the Philippine Collegian was abducted by military agents on campus, and later tried and convicted.
Completing the esteemed panel of U.P. alumni are Dr. Anton Juan, a professor and Theatre Arts director at the University of Notre Dame du Lac; and Dr. Jennifer Mijares-Zimmerman, a pediatrician and adjunct professor in Northwest Florida, providing care to the underserved population for over 20 years. They will provide insight on the stakes of the issue.
UPAASF Board Director and President + Founding Partner of Global MediaX Odette Alcazaren-Keeley will moderate the event.
Kaagapay Sa Pag-Aaral (Assisting Students for Education) is the University of the Philippines (UP) global fundraising and resource generation campaign to provide laptops, computers and internet connection to financially-challenged UP scholars for online instructions for the upcoming Semester 2020-2021.
The University of the Philippines Alumni Association of San Francisco (UPAASF), in partnership with the Friends of the University of the Philippines Foundation in America (FUPFA), asks for your support in enabling our Iskolar ng Bayan (scholars of the nation) to move forward and ultimately reach their goal of graduating. The UP system will hold classes through online instructions only for this coming semester. We appeal to you to be their Kaagapay, a companion, someone who shares their burden and eases their struggle in these difficult, rapidly evolving times.
With your donations, our students will receive the computers or laptops and internet connectivity they need toward earning their degrees.
WAYS TO DONATE – In Cash or In-Kind
By ZELLE: Using your bank account or Zelle app, send donation to: friends.univphil@gmail.com
By using Zelle, your funds are deposited directly into bank account of Friends of the UP Foundation in America. There are no bank fees or charges.
NOTE: on the MESSAGE line, please write your email address (or mailing address) so FUPFA can send you a receipt.
By CREDIT CARD: processed through FUPFA PayPal account:
via PAYPAL: Click on the PayPal button. PayPal charges 3% fees on credit card payments. Please choose: Friends or Family (Not Goods or Services)
QR CODE: Using the smartphone to Scan to FUPFA’s PayPal account. Open the QR Code Reader (Scan) on your smartphone. Hold your device over the QR Code so it is clearly visible within your phone’s screen. This will take you to FUPFA’s PayPal account. Choose: Kaagapay sa Pag-Aaral (UPAASF).
By CHECK: Click here for Donation Form
Make check payable to: Friends of the UP Foundation in America (or FUPFA)
mail to: Francis Faeldonea, UP Treasurer at: 170 3rd Avenue, Apt 4, Daly City, CA 94014
BY WIRE TRANSFER:
Bank: Bank of America
Address: Concord, CA 94518
ABA Routing No: 121000358
Bank Account: 325036664810
Reference: Kaagapay sa Pag-Aaral UPAASF
IN-KIND DONATION:
New or Refurbished Computers): Contact Eric Golangco at egolangco@aol.come
ABOUT KAAGAPAY:
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it necessary for the University of the Philippines to be flexible with its mode of delivery of learning. For the Academic Year 2020-2021, UP will adopt “remote learning and/or the blending of remote and face-to-face learning, if the public health situation allows” (OVPAA Memorandum No. 2020-68, p2). Either blended or remote, the new mode of delivery requires all enrolled students to have access to computer technologies and Internet connectivity.
While many students have their own computers, more than 5,600 UP students are in danger of not being able to continue their education, because they cannot afford this technology and the tools that have now become integral to learning. Around 1,600 of them have no resources at all, and for at least 4,000 more, sustained use of technologies is no longer feasible because the pandemic has rendered their households financially vulnerable.
In view of the need to ensure every UP student is equipped with the required remote learning tools from the time they first enroll in the University until they graduate, the UP System is embarking on a new endeavor, the Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan or #KaagapayUP Fundraising and Resource Generation Campaign.
The term kaagapay, which means being by one’s side or alongside, connotes support and care from an individual who desires to help others achieve their goals. A Kaagapay ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan is a donor or benefactor who may be a student, faculty, staff, alumni, interest groups, associations, profit or non- profit organizations, government, or non-government organizations, committed to helping financially-challenged UP students and their families.
For more information, click here:
For assistance, contact Sonia Delen at info@upaasf.org
UP NAMING MAHAL! MARAMING SALAMAT!