Victoria Canape Belegal was formally installed as the 7th Staff Regent on October 18 at the UP Open University (UPOU) Headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna. UP President Danilo Concepcion administered the oath of office.
Belegal, currently Administrative Officer V at the UPOU Office of the University Registrar, will serve a two-year term from October 2021 to October 2023. She was the president of the All UP Workers Union-UPOU Chapter at her nomination to the Staff Regent post.
In her speech, Belegal focused on blessing and service. Blessing, she said, came in the form of the tremendous support given by her family, friends, and REPS (administrative and research, extension, and professional staff) across the UP System. She believed that her track record in championing the causes of University staff and her capacity to lead convinced many to place their trust and faith in her to be the staff sector’s representative to the highest governing body of the University, the Board of Regents (BOR).
Belegal emphasized the importance of wisdom and hard work in serving and fulfilling her duties. As Staff Regent, she acknowledged that she has taken on an even bigger responsibility to serve. Having been with UP for more than 25 years, she is no stranger to service, not only as a civil servant but as an active participant and leader in initiatives that sought to improve staff welfare. She said that as the voice of UP staff in the BOR, she will raise their concerns to the board and report on and celebrate their successes.
In closing, she reiterated the call for unity among University administrative staff and REPS to strengthen the sector’s pursuit of benefits for all.
The main items in her agenda as Staff Regent are the following: PHP 20,000 Health Support Grant; Sagad Award; regularization of UP contractual employees; widened coverage for eHope; Long Service Leave Benefit; and representation of REPS.
Belegal has a Master of Public Management degree from Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. She also took graduate units in Entomology from UP Los Baños (UPLB). She had earlier graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture, majoring in Entomology.
She started working in UP in 1992 as a University Research Associate at the UPLB Institute of Plant Breeding. In 1996, she joined UPOU, then only a year old, and still building the country’s foundations of open and distance learning (now e-learning). She is considered one of UPOU’s pioneer staff members. While an administrative staff member, she continued to pursue research work, publishing in journals and presenting papers in international conferences. (With a report from the UPOU Office of Public Affairs and the UPLB Office of Public Relations)
