Professorial chairs augment faculty salary, student scholarships send those in need to school, research and development (R&D are promoted, and college modernization is advanced at the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Engineering (UPD COE).
All these became possible through the generous donations that were generated by the UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation Inc. (UPERDFI) and their partners since its formation 52 years ago.
The foundation was created in 1972 by then UPD COE Dean Alfredo L. Juinio, a former Minister of Public Works and Highways.
The UPERDFI leaders and members gathered for a Recognition and Thanksgiving Dinner at the Makati Sports Club on February 7 to express their gratitude to the individuals, families and institutions who donated and “have made a significant impact” in raising funds in support of the college.
Recognized were the top 10 donors since 1972, or the “Legacy Donors,” for their “steadfast commitment and exceptional contributions in fostering growth and success” of the UPERDFI Development Programs for UPD COE.
Also acknowledged were the donors from December 2022 to November 2023, the Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze donors, and the individuals who have rendered unwavering service to the foundation since 1972.
‘Every contribution makes a difference’
The UPERDFI leaders were in agreement that their long-time and faithful benefactors have made possible the foundation’s programs to support UPD COE’s faculty and student development, R&D projects, and collaborations with industry.
As foundation President Rowena Torres-Ordoñez pointed out, her seven-month stint at the foundation have made her witness “nothing but this gracious giving attitude of our donors.”
“Sharing blessings never goes out of style!…. Every contribution makes a difference,” she said in a video message.
UPERDFI Chairman Alexander Sy Sun Eng said the donors’ “selfless contributions” have extended to the realm of “knowledge creation and societal impact.”
The investments in faculty members make grow the body of knowledge toward quality education, added Sy, himself a double degree graduate of Chemical and Electrical Engineering from the UP COE in 1971.
Recognized among the Legacy donors, Sy said the donors’ belief in the potential of every student “is a beacon of hope, guiding them toward a brighter future and becoming better engineers as well as leaders for our nation.”
He added that the donors’ “generosity elevated the caliber of engineering students, professors, learning environment and R&D in [UPD COE] that spread out to society.”
For his part, Executive Director Alfonso A. Aliga Jr. said the donors’ support has been making the UP COE a “leader” in preparing the youth for careers in engineering and technology, and “ultimately, becoming leaders of industry, academe and government.”
He added that the donors’ support have made possible the college’s churning out each year about 800 to 900 students in the bachelors level, a hundred in the MS and PhD levels, mentored by 250 mostly full-time professors and instructors.
Aliga cited the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) support to UPERDFI by granting it a certification giving it a Donee Institution status.
Message from a donor
Dr. Magdaleno B. Albarracin Jr., who represented the donors—being one of the Legacy donors—said the UPD COE “has touched our lives; it has touched my life…. It gave me a lot of blessings,” thus he is paying it forward.
A graduate of BS Electrical Engineering from UP, Albarracin said people should be inspired to give more.
In 40 years, he said, there could be 40,000 engineering alumni. If they are inspired to give P100,000 each, “maybe a lot of people here would be on the list [of donors].”
Albarracin is the Vice Chairman of Phinma Inc., former UPERDFI chairman and among its current advisers.
‘Pleasantly surprised’
Former Science secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña was among the Distinguished Service awardees for long service to UPERDFI.
“I was pleasantly surprised that the UPERDFI would give me recognition for long years of dedicated service to the Foundation,” de la Peña told the BusinessMirror in an interview on February 7.
His service to UPERDFI has spanned 41 years—as assistant treasurer, treasurer, vice president for finance and current adviser.
“It has been an honor to have served UPERDFI in support of the UP College of Engineering,” said de la Peña, a former UPD COE professor.
A BS Chemical Engineering and MS in Industrial Engineering graduate from UP, the university conferred on de la Peña the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, while he was the Secretary of the DOST.
10,000 volunteers
UP President Angelo A. Jimenez, in his closing remarks, urged those present at the event to join him as he is mobilizing 10,000 volunteers from UP.
He explained that the volunteers will help uplift the quality of learning performance of young Filipinos, particularly in reading comprehension, science and mathematics.
Guests
Among those who graced the event were UPERDFI advisers, Energy Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara and former Prime Minister Cesar E.A. Virata; Parliament Member Don Mustapha Loong of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao; former Public Works and Highways secretary Rogelio L. Singson; and UPD COE Dean Maria Antonia Tanchuling.
Awardees
Distinguished Service Award
Fortunato T. de la Peña: Assistant Treasurer/Treasurer/VP for Finance, 1983 to 2015; UPERDFI Adviser, 2017 to present
Editha Juinio Atienza: Comptroller since 1987
Alfonso A. Aliga Jr.: Trustee, 1997 to 2005, 2008 to 2017; President, 2013 to 2017; Executive Director since 2017
Baby Nelly E. Manalo: Accountant since 2011
Legacy (Top 10 Donors since 1972)
Magdaleno B. Albarracin Jr.—In 2008, he mounted a matching fundraising campaign for the construction of the Concordia Albarracin Residence Hall (Engineering Centennial Dormitory Building) in honor of his mother.
Together with Phinma Foundation, he provided UPD COE funding for 11 professorial chairs for engineering faculty members, six of which are still being used today.
In 2023, he donated P50 million for the upgrading of the UPD COE Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute laboratories. He also contributed to the Technology Development and Strategic Studies Fund, the Student Wellbeing Program, and the UPERDFI administration.
Isidro A. Consunji—He led DMCI Holdings companies in providing UPCOE with 11 professorial chairs, eight teaching and research awards, funding for the Institute of Civil Engineering (ICE) Building completion and the David M. Consunji Theater, lecture rooms, classrooms, and laboratories. In 2023, DMCI Homes donated universal testing machines and laboratory equipment for the ICE Construction Materials Laboratory, and Semirara provided replica testing and metal specimen sample preparation equipment to the Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials and Engineering.
Diosdado and Maria Banatao—Diosdado is a world-renowned inventor for computer microchips. During the UP Centennial celebration in 2008, the Dado and Maria Banatao Institute gave a $500,000 endowment fund that has been sustaining three super professorial chairs and research grants in engineering.
Manuel V. Pangilinan—With his MVP Group of Companies, Pangilinan provided UPCOE with funds for four professorial chairs in engineering, the UPCOE Computing Facility, lecture rooms, laboratories and scholarships.
Pilipinas Shell Corp.—It established three endowed professorial chairs in 2007, 2008 and 2015, respectively, that boosted faculty development in UPCOE.
Family of UPERDFI founder, Dean Alfredo L. Juinio, and Prof. Alfredo B. Juinio Jr.—They established two endowed professorial chair awards. Juinio’s daughter, Editha Juinio Atienza, is the UPERDFI Comptroller and has donated to the Student Wellbeing Program.
Alex Sy Sun Eng—The current UPERDFI chairman, Sy’s ACE Electronics Technology Inc. set up three professorial chairs and provided funding for the UPCOE Computing Facility, and Student Wellbeing Program.
Multiflex RNC Philippines Corp. (Uratex)—It established three Robert Cheng Professorial Chairs and Scholarships, which supported faculty and students since 2014.
Denis T. Carpio—The US-based chemical engineering alumnus, since 2020 he has been contributing to the UPCOE Covid-19 Response Projects, the UPCOE Computing Facility and the DChE@70 Catalyzing Honor and Excellence Campaign.
Accenture Inc.—A global management, technology services and outsourcing company, it established the Accenture Grant Fund in 2020 which assisted 11 promising startups with their scaling up and commercialization activities.
Platinum
(Seven donors of P1 million & above)
Magdaleno B. Albarracin Jr.; Fluor Daniel Inc.-Philippines; GT Foundation Inc.; Megaworld Foundation Inc.; DMCI Project Developers Inc.; SEM-Calaca Power Corp. and Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corp.; and Mundo Builders Inc.
Gold
(Four donors of P500,000 to P999,999)
Craft Research Technologies Inc.; PHINMA Foundation Inc.; Multiflex RNC Philippines Corp. (Uratex); and The Murata Science Foundation.
Silver
(48 donors of P120,000 to P499,999)
Renato R. Bello, Manuel R. Bulaong Jr., Rosario S. Calderon and Brenton Calderon Marrelli, Jerome H. Cainglet, Francis Chua; Jennifer Lynn Cua; Nestor M. Felicio, Ma. Eloisa N. Francisco, Michael V. Gonzalez, Ronaldo S. Ison, Yin Yong Lao, Jose Edgar Manrique, Ma. Aura Teodora Castillo Matias, Manuel V. Pangilinan, Simon Sandoval, Carmen V.F. Seriña, Elzar Lorenzana Simon, Stephen D. Sy, Maria Bella Tan, Antonio Tanchuling Jr.
Apolonio and Lorna Yson, Felicidad Zafra Reyes, Alvarez Foundation Philippines, AMH Philippines Inc., Analog Devices Gen. Trias Inc., ANTA Construction Corp., Apex Mining Co. Inc., Borland Development Corp., Brian Tan Engineering Consultancy Services, CleanTech Foundation Inc.
DCCD Engineering Corp., Focus Global Inc., Globe Telecom Inc., Houston Hydrotech Products and Systems Inc., Huawei Technologies Philippines Inc., JCV and Associates Project Management and Development Inc., Kolor Furniture Inc., Longridge Construction Inc., Maynilad Water Services Inc.; One Meralco Foundation Inc.
Orchards of the Abba Corp., People’s Asia Pacific Construction Corp., PetroEnergy Resources Corp., Philippine Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Inc., PLDT-Smart Foundation Inc.. Segovia and Co. Inc., SteelAsia Foundation Inc., and UP Alumni Association of British Columbia.
Bronze
(12 donors of P50,000 to P119,999)
Cenon M. Carolino; Francis C. Felizardo; Emmanuel T. Manlapig; Patrick M. Ostrea; ACE Electronic Technology Inc.; Denso Ten Solutions Philippines Corp.; Foxmont Advisory Services Inc.; J. Amado Araneta Foundation Inc.; PGA Earth Structure Solutions Inc.; Universal Robina Corp.; UP Alumni Association of Greater Los Angeles Area; and UP Alumni in Minnesota.
Project Leader of the Year
Magdaleno R. Vasquez Jr.: VistaLand & LifeScapes Coir+ Project (2021-22); Craft Research Technologies Inc. Stealth Project (2023-24)
Image credits: UPERDFI , UPERDFI