The all new University Food Service (UFS) is now serving the whole UP community in Diliman. On March 20, UP officials, faculty, staff and students attended the official opening and launch of UFS’s new logo at its original location in Vinzon’s Hall.
UFS officer-in-charge Mitzi A. Reyes recognized the joint efforts of UP System and Diliman officials in making the rehabilitation possible for UFS under the leadership of UP President Danilo Concepcion and UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan.
Pres. Concepcion in his message emphasized that the administration had persisted in providing funds for the renovation not only for UFS, but also for the whole of Vinzon’s Hall. “There is still a lot to be done in this building. Having a budget of PHP 370M this year, we are looking at further improving the Vinzon’s Hall along with the construction of the Student Union building which will serve as the student’s activity center,” he stated.
“I believe that providing good and nutritious food should not be looked at as a profitable business especially for the UFS because it is in our mandate as a University to provide service. It is about time that we think more about providing service as a responsibility of this University and not as a profit-generating business; so the same will be expected in the reconstruction of the UP Shopping Center. We do away with the principle of overpricing food to save up for store rental rates. Instead, we come up with lower rental rates so that serving good yet affordable food is possible,” Concepcion added.
Happy experience, Uno sa sarap!
Back in 2014, Chancellor Michael Tan had envisioned “a healthier living in the campus, starting with food service units that understand the dietary needs of the constituents”, according to Reyes.
The new UFS is envisioned by Reyes as the five Ms – masustansiya, masarap, malinis, mura at maganda. “It is not a tagline, it is a philosophy which everyone in UFS must believe in, work for and live by,” according to Reyes.
Reyes and the rest of UFS want the food experience at the cafeteria to be a happy and emotional one, more than just tummy-fillers as it provides healthy, delicious, reasonably-priced campus cuisine, in a clean and aesthetically pleasing kitchen and dining areas, which makes it “Uno sa sarap!”
New visual identity
The new UFS brand and logo aims to “reflect the values it upholds while strengthening the culture of UFS,” according to UFS’s branding team.
“The new UFS logo maintains the brand colors of the previous UFS logo. The logotype resembles the softness of baybayin strokes symbolizing the longstanding UFS tradition,” explained Prof. Annie Pacaña-Lumbao.
Behind the new and improved UFS are the UP College of Fine Arts faculty, who were in charge of the design, branding and marketing, and the Office of the Campus Architect.
Also present during the inauguration were UP Vice President for Planning and Finance Joselito Florendo and Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO)
