At the reception hosted by University of the Philippines President Danilo L. Concepcion, together with officials of the UP Diliman College of Engineering (CoE) and the UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (UPERDFI), alumni of the CoE who donated professorial chairs and new books to support the nation’s future engineers expressed their commitment and gratitude to the University. The donors received Sundial Plaques as tokens of appreciation from UP. The event was held at the UP Board of Regents Room in Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City on October 22, 2019.
UPERDFI Executive Director Alfonso A. Aliga, Jr. acknowledged the donors for providing an additional six professorial chairs for CoE, the second batch the College received for the year: CleanTech Global Renewables, Inc. Professorial Chair in Renewable Energy; Legazpi Premium Development Corporation Professorial Chair in Engineering; Fortunato Tanseco de la Peña Professorial Chair in Productivity Engineering; Renato M. Tanseco Chair in Mechanical Engineering; Ma. Divina Cruz Casillan Professorial Chair in Chemical Engineering; and, Dr. Ruben A. Garcia Professorial Chair in Energy Engineering; as well as funds for the production, marketing and promotion of ES 101 textbooks written by UP Institute of Civil Engineering faculty.
CoE Dean Ferdinand G. Manegdeg said the event marks an auspicious start for his term as the new dean. He said 126 of the total CoE faculty members have been awarded professorial chairs for academic year 2017-2018, and 145 for 2019. He added that the College already has 199 professors eligible to apply for professorial chairs. “We continue to seek help for donations for thesis, research grants, and scholarships. Your gifts to the college will bear fruit. . . (para sa) teknolohiyang makakatulong sa mas maraming Pilipino, para sa mas maunlad na bansa (by making technology serve more Filipinos, towards the goal of attaining a more developed nation),” he said.
UP Pres. Concepcion commended the alumni donors for their unwavering support, especially since UP is the nation’s leading research university. He encouraged the alumni to reach out to fellows abroad, to form alumni associations, to continue supporting the University through donations, to teach short but intensive courses in UP, and to help in the internationalization efforts of the University.
Jose Go Rañola, the president of the Legazpi Premium Development Corporation and an advocate for blind people, said he wants to encourage engineering students in providing assistive technology in the Philippines.
Vincent O. Abella, the president of the Automated Technology Philippines, Inc. (ATECPHIL), honored the company’s founder and chairman, Renato “Rene” M. Tanseco (Mechanical Engineering Class of 1959) with the donation of the class. Abella hopes “that future engineers will have a successful career and contribute to building the nation.”
A donor and a chair honoree, Renato “Rene” M. Tanseco, said he named a professorial chair after his cousin, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato “Boy” Tanseco de la Peña.
De la Peña, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1969, an MS in Industrial Engineering in 1976, and a PhD honoris causa in 2018, warmly acknowledged his “Kuya Rene’s” gift to the College as a “unique honor”. “I assure you that we will continue to support UP,” he said. De la Peña also serves as adviser of the UPERDFI.
Marcelo M. Casillan, Jr., a UPERDFI adviser, Tanseco’s classmate in ME ’59, and long-time patron to the College, donated two professorial chairs: one in honor of his departed wife, Ma. Divina Cruz (BS Chemical Engineering 1960, MS ChE 1968; and the other, in memory of Dr. Ruben A. Garcia who served as CoE dean from 1985 to 1991. “For the love of UP, we really have to give back our blessings,” Casillan said. A representative of the Garcia family added that they, too, are grateful for the opportunity to help the nation’s future engineers.
Renato “Rene” R. Bello (Industrial Engineering Class of 1975) and Carmen Viola Fernando Seriña, donated funds for the production of the new ES 101 book set. Rosario “Chato” Calderon, also a previous donor for projects and of a professorial chair, provided funds for the marketing and promotion of the books. Bello affirmed that this is their way of giving back to the University, providing inspiration to the youth, and contributing to the nation.
Dr. Iris Ann Martinez, a CoE faculty member and a representative of the professorial chair awardees, expressed her gratitude to the University and the alumni donors for their untiring support. She said such incentives for faculty to pursue researches in their fields of interest and expertise truly benefit their students, UP, and the nation. “I hope dumami pa kayo, kasi marami pang colleagues na ma-iinspire at makakagawa ng research nila (that more of our alumni support the University so that many more of our colleagues will be inspired and pursue their research activities),” she added. The event also provides awardees an opportunity to meet and thank those who were able to inspire them, the College, and the UPERDFI, she explained.
In closing, UPERDFI President Frederick Jonathan A. Trinidad reiterated the indispensable role of UP alumni in supporting the Iskolar ng Bayan, the nation’s future engineers, the CoE, as well as the internationalization efforts of UP.
