8 UP FORUM Volume 13 No. 6 November-December 2012
BEGINNINGS: UP MANILA...continued from page 5
training ground for young students towards one hallmark feature of UP education— leadership in government. In the 1920s a parade of lanterns placed on top of huge floats began to be held in December. Students tested their thespian capabilities and talents in the UP Dramatic Club. A newspaper produced by the students themselves called The Philippine Collegian came out with its maiden issues in 1921-1922. Prominent editors included Wenceslao Vinzons, Ambrosio Padilla, Arturo Tolentino, Renato Constantino and Armando Malay. A yearbook which first came out in 1915 called The Philippinensian chronicled the annual activities, events, and roster of graduating classes. In the late 1930s, male students took part in the Reserve Officer Training Corps. Cadets chose their favorite female friends to become their corps sponsors. Sports was an integral part of student life as the UP believed in molding physically-fit students. Varsity teams were created for American sports that were introduced in the country such as baseball, track and field, soccer-football, and basketball. A UP Cheering Squad buoyed the spirit of athletes in their competitions. College teams engaged each other in friendly competition matches. The Second World War disrupted the university’s regular routine. In 1942, the Japanese Army took over the main buildings, compelling the administrative offices to transfer to the PGH and the College of Medicine. Only a few colleges continued their classes—the College of Medicine in the main campus in Manila and the Colleges of Agriculture and Veterinary Science in their campuses in Los Baños and Pandacan. In 1945 during the Liberation of Manila, Ermita was one area where the heaviest fighting took place. The once-beautiful buildings of the UP were reduced to rubble. Thousands of books from the different college libraries and the University Library, records of the different offices as well as laboratory equipment for the science courses were forever lost. Bienvenido Gonzalez (1939-1943) and Antonio Sison (1943-1945) were the
UP Presidents during these darkest years of the Second World War. After the war, UP took two steps for its rehabilitation. The first was a massive repair of the buildings. The second was the transfer of some of the colleges in Diliman in Quezon City, which had been mapped out before the war as the university’s new campus. Construction in fact had already started for two buildings, one each for the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Law. The transfer to Diliman officially commenced in 1949. Only the health science courses remained in the Manila campus. On November 20, 1972 President Ferdinand Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 58, which authorized the establishment of the University of the Philippines System with the vision of creating autonomous units. At its 894th meeting held on October 28, 1977, the Board of Regents reconstituted the Manila campus by creating a Health Sciences Center and recognizing it as an autonomous unit under the UP System. The Health Sciences Center integrated all the health science units under one complex with the primary aim of providing leadership in education, research and services and in bringing about the highest quality of health care. Under the Health Sciences Center setup, the PGH became the national center for referral, training, and research and the clinical laboratory of all the health sciences units. At present, UP Manila has nine degree-granting units—College of Allied and Medical Professions, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Dentistry, College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, College of Public Health, National Teacher Training Center for the Health Professions, and the School of Health Sciences. Two colleges—the College of Medicine and the College of Nursing—are recognized by the Commission on Higher Education as Centers of Excellence. --------------Dr. Boncan is professor of History at the College of Arts and Sciences in UP Manila. Email her at celesbon@yahoo.com.
Frontage of the UP-PGH along Taft Avenue.
Some illustrious personalities that left a legacy of leadership in the early days of UP in Manila MENDOZA, Paz (Medicine 1912) First Filipino Woman Doctor First President, Philippine Association of University Women PARAS, Ricardo (Law 1913) Chief Justice, Supreme Court ROXAS, Manuel (Law 1913) President, Republic of the Philippines VARGAS, Jorge (Law 1914) Chairman, Philippine Executive Commission YULO, Jose (Law 1914) Chief Justice, Supreme Court ALZONA, Encarnacion (Lib.Arts 1915) Education 1917 First Woman Historian REYES, Nicanor (Lib.Arts 1915) Founder, Far Eastern University
Faculty, Department of History, UP Diliman SAN AGUSTIN, Gregorio (Vet.Med. 1916) First Filipino Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, UP BENGSON, Cesar (Law 1919) Chief Justice, Supreme Court LARA, Hilario (Medicine 1919) Father of Philippine Public Health National Scientist of the Philippines (Hygiene), 1985 SALCEDO, Juan Jr. (Medicine 1929) Proved the Efficacy of Vitamin B National Scientist of the Philippines (Nutrition), 1978 ARANETA, J. Amado (Business Ad. 1930) GARCIA, Mauro (Education 1930) Author
HERRERA, Pilar P. (Pharmacy 1915) Pharmacy (postgraduate) 1916
MANANSALA, Vicente (Fine Arts 1930) National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts
CONCEPCION, Hermogenes (Law 1915) Senator, 1934
ABLAN, Roque B. (Law 1930) Governor, Ilocos Norte, 1937 Guerrilla Leader
LAUREL, Jose P. (Law 1915) President, Japanese-Sponsored Philippine Republic PADILLA, Sabino B. (Law 1915) Associate Justice, Supreme Court QUIRINO, Elpidio (Law 1915) President, Republic of the Philippines TOLENTINO, Guillermo (Fine Arts 1915) National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts ZAFRA, Nicolas (Education 1917)
ROY, Jose J. (Law 1930) Senator GATMAITAN, Clemente (Medicine 1930) Minister, Department of Health OCAMPO, Geminiano de (Medicine 1932) National Scientist of the Philippines (Ophthalmology), 1982 AQUINO, Teofila (Vet. Science 1933) First Filipino Woman Veterinarian
DEL MUNDO, Fe (Medicine 1933) Awardee, Ramon Magsaysay Award (Public Service), 1977 National Scientist of the Philippines (Pediatrics), 1980 MACALINTAL, Querube (Law 1933) Chief Justice, Supreme Court TOLENTINO, Arturo (Law 1934) Senator Vice President, Republic of the Philippines MANAHAN, Constantino (Medicine 1936) Founder, Manila Doctors Hospital and Makati Medical Center MUNOZ-PALMA, Cecilia (Law 1937) Associate Justice, Supreme Court First Woman Justice of the Supreme Court Chairperson, 1986 Constitutional Commission FERNANDO, Enrique (Law 1938) Chief Justice, Supreme Court MARCOS, Ferdinand (Law 1939) President, Republic of the Philippines ABAD SANTOS, Jose (Law 1940) Chief Justice, Supreme Court ARAGON, Gloria (Medicine 1940) First Woman Director of the Philippine General Hospital DAYRIT, Conrado (Medicine 1943) Pioneered on the Efficacy of Coconut Oil PARDO DE TAVERA, Mita (Medicine 1944) Secretary, Department of Social Work & Development
CAMPOS, Paolo (Medicine 1945) National Scientist of the Philippines (Internal Medicine), 1989 MANALO, Fermin (Medicine 1948) Founding President, Philippine College of Chest Physicians PERIQUET, Antonio (Medicine 1959) Secretary, Department of Health FLAVIER, Juan (Medicine 1960) Secretary, Department of Health 1992-1995 Senator BENGZON, Alfredo (Medicine 1961) Awardee, Ramon Magsaysay Award (Government Service), 1991 Secretary, Department of Health 19871992 RAMIREZ, Alfredo (Medicine 1961) Father of Burn Medicine & Surgery ONA, Enrique (Medicine 1962) Secretary, Department of Health ROMUALDEZ, Alberto (Medicine 1965) Secretary, Department of Health 19982001 CABRAL, Esperanza (Medicine 1968) Secretary, Department of Health 2009-2010 ALFILER, Carmelo (Medicine 1972) Founding President, Pediatric Nephrology Society of the Philippines Director, Philippine General Hospital GALVEZ-TAN, Jaime (Medicine 1974) Secretary, Department of Health 1995 DAYRIT, Manuel (Medicine 1976) Secretary, Department of Health 2001-2005