From the Desk of the Vice-Chancellor

It took its time coming but we are delighted to launch the OVCCA’s webpage at last. This section is the Vice-Chancellor’s report covering the period from 1 May – 7 September, 2005. It is an 18 point TO DO & DONE list for brevity (as we do like to get straight to the point to make time for the more pleasant banter).

  • Anti-Dengue Campaign – Memo was issued to all Deans and Building Administrators instructing the latter to clean up all breeding places and to spray indoors with water-based insecticides. Reports have been subsequently filed by the building administrators in compliance. QC City Hall is currently spraying all outdoor academic and residential areas in UPD with water-based insecticides COPEC and APABE, which have been cleared as safe for our use by the Dep’t of Environmental Science Chair Dr. Gene Peralta. The CMO has also responded to requests for de-clogging canals in Hardin ng Bougainvillea and Pook Aguinaldo. Meanwhile, an inventory of squatter structures that are occupying canals and other waterways is being drawn up for summary demolition. The deans and building administrators are reminded to keep up the anti-dengue efforts for the rest of the rainy season and the community is encouraged to do its part in the clean-up drive.
  • Padlock of Illegally-Occupied Housing Units - Between August 15-19, 2005, eight (8) housing units were padlocked by combined elements of the UPDP, CMO reinforcing the regular complement of the Task Forcing Housing headed by Capt. Ruben Villaluna and Task Force Anti-Squatting headed by Maj. Bernie Baltazar. Pook Amorsolo illegal occupants put up some resistance and dialogue was conducted on 19 August 2005 with Mr. Danny Frianeza as representative of those who refuse to surrender their units and with the officials of Pook Amorsolo Residents Association (PARA-UP). Instead of responding to the request of the Vice-Chancellor for a timetable for voluntary eviction, on 22 August 2005 video-identifiable persons including the previous occupant Eduardo Soleta committed forcible entry in reclaiming the padlocked unit in 68-A Ocampo St., Pook Amorsolo. A SWAT team was requested to assist UPDP in reclaiming the unit but a mass-up of protesters dissuaded further action. Criminal Complaints for violation of Arts. 221 & 222 of the Revised Penal Code will be filed against those who refuse to surrender their units. Padlock operations will resume in September in order to release a total of 25 units for award to the top 25 applicants in compliance with the rules. Individual appeals are entertained by the Vice-Chancellor and voluntary offers to vacate with requests for short extensions are most welcome. (Please see: Top 25 applicants, housing rules and policy statement on the housing privilege also featured in this webpage.)
  • Area Coordinator’s Forum - The first meeting of this body was held on 17 August 2005. Agenda taken up included Anti-Dengue/Buhay na Canal project; Security Concerns and the SSB II, Nominations for Directorship of the Office of Community Relations and membership requirements in residents’ associations. The ACF will meet every second Wednesday of the month to discuss community concerns. Residential areas are encouraged to form their residents’ associations for representation in the ACF. The Pook Amorsolo Residents Association (PARA-UP) has solicited 24 mountain bikes from the Rotary Club and the other residents from the Hardins have pledged to donate 2 way radios all for use of the Bike Patrol. Any more counterpart donations from the residents shall be most welcome.
  • SSB II Bike Patrol – After the success of SSB I, Major Nestor Madrigal has recruited the next batch of SSB for training and deployment of a Bike Patrol to secure the residential areas, to supplement the Checkpoint security guards and to augment the Task Force Anti-Squatting which will be performing new duties under the new security agency contracts that will be awarded come October.
  • Stray Dogs Task Force - This was re-activated this August to clear the campus of stray dogs. Dog-owners with loose dogs will be fined by the Task Force pursuant to pertinent BOR-approved regulations.
  • Crisis Management Structure for UPD – A three-man technical committee composed of the Vice-Chancellor for Community Affairs as Chair and Majors Abe de Castro, OIC, UPDP and Nestor Madrigal, Head STPS/SSB, was formed to advise the Chancellor following a series of hoax bomb threats received in July. Approving the recommendations of the said committee, a two day seminar was conducted on 24 and 31 August at the Triple E Auditorium attended by building administrators and associate deans to devise an evacuation plan for their respective buildings and to recommend personnel to man the base echelon of the crisis management structure for UPD headed by the Chancellor, the Vice-President for Administration and the Vice-Chancellor for Community Affairs. The participants of the said seminar are also expected to re-echo the seminar at the building level with the aid of a CD compilation of manuals, film clips, powerpoint slides. Lecturers were invited from the QC Bomb Squad, the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Red Cross. A memo will issue from the Office of the Chancellor to formally designate the members of the base echelon and other officials of the crisis management structure shortly thereafter. Building Evacuation Drills (building level and campus-wide) will be implemented thereafter under the supervision of the technical committee.
  • Task Force Solid Waste Management – The garbage transfer station at the back of the new Architecture Building will be cleaned up thoroughly by the CMO. Thereafter, a memo will issue announcing the policy of “waste segregation at source” directing all building administrators to see to it that waste is segregated by the janitorial staff before it leaves the building (thereby eliminating the need for a garbage transfer station). Strict Garbage Collection schedules will be announced and implemented. Each batch of un-segregated garbage will be fined against the janitorial agency at P1,000.00 per batch. A 1-hectare composting pit at the arboretum shall be fenced off and all bio-degradables and dried leaves will be deposited there. Slop waste from concessionaires will be deposited directly at the compost site. Recyclable waste material will be sold to the UP-accredited buyer and proceeds will be deposited to a Trust Account to be opened for said purpose. Delivery of non-biodegradable, non-recycleable waste straight to Payatas will be out-sourced to free the four garbage trucks of UP for daily collection. The said proposal has been approved in principle by the Chancellor and the OVCCA is only awaiting budget clearance at present.
  • Satellite Image Photograph of the UPD – This image with a resolution of .6 m will constitute the Joint Inventory between the winning Security Guard Agencies for the North and South Sector (bidding will be held mid-September) and UPD to enforce the contractual obligation to control squatter proliferation by charging the agencies P15,000.00 per day for failure to demolish new squatter structures. Cloud cover during the rainy season prevents the acquisition of a current image so UPD will have to make do with the April 2004 shot which is, however, cheaper at 52 thousand compared to the 112 thousand cost of a current image. Data will be updated by joint ground survey by the security agencies and the Task Force Anti-Squatting headed by Sp. Maj. Bernie Baltazar, UPDP.
  • Bikeways Project Revival & the Proposed Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Management Study – The Transportation Committee has resolved to revive the Bikeways Project proposed by Dr. Ricardo Sigua of the NCTS as early as 1992. The Bikeways Project, however, is envisioned to be only one component of the Comprehensive Campus Transportation and Traffic Management Plan that will be a 6 month study commissioned to multi-disciplinary in-house expertise to produce a Plan of Implementation for a Pilot Pedestrian/Environment -Friendly Campus that features satellite multi-level parking for gas fed vehicles; a car-less oval; bike sheds, lanes, trails, repairs & rental infrastructure; required use of coco-diesel by campus passenger jeep franchises -- to name some items in the fervent wish-list.
  • Relocation of 127 Old Light Fixtures at the Oval – With the installation of the new lights at the oval, the old fixtures will be re-installed in outlying areas like the dormitories and other peripheral roads. 20 fixtures will be given to the University Hotel. Of course, the new light fixtures at the oval was made possible though the efforts of Dean Rowena Cristina Guevara’s Committee.
  • New Policy on Food Service – The Chancellor has instructed the Business Concessions Office (BCO) to abandon its previous orientation of food concessions as an income-generating activity and instead explore ways to drastically reduce overhead of concessionaires so that the administration can demand highly affordable but nutritious food fare. The Food Service Regulatory Committee headed by Dr. Corazon Gatchalian of the College of Home Economics is currently finalizing its committee recommendations.
  • UP Manininda Relocation - A dialogue was held on 24 August 2005 between representatives of the UP Manininda, the USC, All-UP Workers Union and representatives of the kiosk vendors. It was resolved in said meeting that the UP Manininda be allowed to consult their General Assembly on counter-proposals for alternative relocation sites but that the relocation itself was non-negotiable. The P1M equity requirement for kiosk bidders cited in House Resolution 909 was cleared up as non-existent. (See the exchange of open letters between the USC/Manininda and the OVCCA; House Resolution No. 909 and the Vice-Chancellor’s letter addressed to Anak Pawis Partylist Representatives also in this webpage.)
  • UPDP Reorganization & Firearms Short-Licensing - Previously the UPDP was organized into the Investigation, Traffic, Follow-up and Operations Sections. This was the set-up during the time when UPDP was 150 strong. Currently, however, the ranks are down to less than 70 and the OIC Chief, Major Abe de Castro identified the need to dissolve these sections into one Operations Section for flexibility in deployment. Memo No. IJL-__-05 was issued to effect this Reorganization. Firearms Short Licenses were issued by the Vice-Chancellor which specifically empowers her to disarm and revoke licenses for unauthorized use of the firearms that are registered in UPD’s name. Drug testing was conducted on all firearms-bearing elements of the UPDP on two unannounced occasions. All tested negative. Drug testing will thereafter be conducted periodically on the UPDP.
  • New Faculty/Staff Housing Project – A meeting was held on 6 September with Atty. Romero FS. Quimbo, President of the Home Dev’t Mutual Fund (Pag-Ibig) and Atty. Gonzalo B.A. Bongolan of the Home Guaranty Corp., both alumna of the UP College of Law, that yielded enthusiastic support for a new housing project in the Hardin ng Rosas mode. Chancellor Cao has given the go ahead for this Vice-Chancellor to pursue the project.
  • Office of the Campus Architect Performance Review – Responding to some complaints aired by the deans, a performance review of the OCA was conducted by the Vice-Chancellor (See excerpts in this webpage.). Among the recommendations made was to limit the design function to projects costing less than P1.5 M and those which may cost more but require simple designs such as roof waterproofing. This frees up a great deal of man hours for the OCA staff that makes for faster delivery of their other services such as infrastructure projects oversight, preparation of bid documents and technical advice. The new policy on Change Orders was also formalized clarifying that savings generated by the bidding process should not be viewed by the end-user as license to effect change orders so that henceforth any additional works shall be processed as new requests and subject to prior approval by the Office of the Chancellor.
  • A series of Meetings between the OVCCA and UPD Brgy Officials - is scheduled to begin on the third week of September at the BOR Boardroom to thresh out concerns such as the affluent squatters of Krus na Ligas and Pael Compound, the squatter syndicate operations, Anti-Dengue Efforts, Solid Waste Management, the CHED demolition in Brgy San Vicente, Security Agency contractual obligations to monitor and control squatter proliferation, among others.
  • Austerity Measures – In line with President Emerlinda R. Roman’s austerity directive, the CMO is using a carpool to ferry its skilled personnel and materials to & from their places of work on campus, centralized monitor of gas and crude oil consumption by equipment, replacement of light bulbs with lower wattage at the Community Affairs Complex; while the UPDP is fielding only one mobile unit for patrol with the other unit on stand-by given the presence of SSB foot patrols and the soon to be deployed bike patrols, reducing the use of airconditioning; strictly rationing gasoline to mobile units. UPDP’s utility consumption is anticipated to drop with the termination of living quarters arrangement provided in the barracks to some UPDP personnel. The community is encouraged to report all crime incidences using the 24-hour UPDP hotlines cel # 09108603171 and cel # 09274000004 (many thanks to the UP Barkada for donating the computer-documented second line). Minutes of meetings, periodically renewed contracts, daily monitoring reports have been cut down to a few pages to economize on paper, printing and reproduction. Use of landlines to contact cellphones has been prohibited except for emergency or urgent communications. Instructions for the other units of the OVCCA to submit austerity measures has also been given.
  • “Building Aides” Proposal – On 31 August, the second day of the crisis management seminar, Maj. Nestor Madrigal took the opportunity to secure the units’ input for his proposal for the recruitment of building aides to ease UPD’s dependence on expensive private security agencies, to ensure loyalty to UP in job performance and to allow UP to perform strict screening in the hiring of personnel. Maj Madrigal’s monitoring of security guard performance through the years has shown that the last two objectives are left wanting under the set-up with security agencies. Campus access control through checkpoint manning as well as UPDP and SSB foot/bike patrol as a four layer, 24 hour, 2-way radio connected security arrangement is viewed as sufficient enough a deterrent to allow for hiring of contractual employees as building aides attached to the different buildings under the direct supervision of the building administrators and deans to attrition security guard deployment. Maj. Madrigal is expected to beef up his proposal with the units’ input to secure Chancellor’s approval for the project.

The foregoing is the summarized report containing the continuing concerns of the OVCCA for which we implore your support in order to achieve a campus environment conducive to hosting a prolific “life of the mind”. For comments, suggestions and any other feedback please email me at ida-may.lao@up.edu.ph

Respectfully submitted.

IDA MAY J. LA ‘O
Vice-Chancellor