About Us
VISION
UP in the service of the underserved communities through volunteerism.
MISSION
To lead in innovative and transformative engagements as the public service university committed to the empowerment of people and selfless service to the nation
OBJECTIVES
- Share with society what the University has analyzed and discovered;
- Enrich teaching and research with knowledge culled from people themselves about the conditions and needs of the nation;
- Propagate actions and values most honored in society which are human dignity, social justice, love of country, and respect for all beings;
- Build character and promote values education; and
- Promote the study of voluntarism and related topics as a subject to scholarship and instruction.
PILLARS
1: The volunteer as the embodiment of public service.
- Create opportunities for its students and other constituents that build character and values most honored in society: human dignity, social justice, love of country, and commitment to
service - Develop and strengthen a systemwide program recognizing volunteer efforts and contributions
- Create opportunities for its students and other constituents that build character and values most honored in society: human dignity, social justice, love of country, and commitment to
2: The University in the service of the nation
- Integrate the concept and values of volunteerism into the curriculum
- Produce research and creative works on the impact of the Service Learning Option and other forms of volunteerism among the students, faculty, and the communities served
- Contribute to the literature, research, and creative outputs by developing knowledge products based on the insights and learnings from the Pahinungód experience
- Develop needs-based holistic volunteer programs that encourage collaboration across disciplines
3: The Underserved community as the priority for capacity-building
- Provide the appropriate expertise that the University can offer that complements education, research, and services, essential in
sustaining and empowering the underserved communities - Deliver innovative, empowering and transformative people-centered volunteer service for the underserved communities
- Provide the appropriate expertise that the University can offer that complements education, research, and services, essential in
4: Mutuality of Interests
- Provide programs, opportunities, and other platforms for mutual development of volunteers and underserved communities
- Develop mutual respect of all parties, recognizing that the volunteers, the University, and the communities are all sources, conduits, and beneficiaries of knowledge and service.
The Ugnayan ng Pahinungód is also a venue for values education — building values and character through public service and volunteerism.
Guided by the vision, mission, and objectives, the UPD Ugnayan ng Pahinungód continues to launch and implement programs that are responsive to the needs of underprivileged communities. Moreover, it builds on the aspirations of the Filipino people as a whole.
INTRODUCTION
Ugnayan ng Pahinungód is the volunteer service program of the University of the Philippines. It is the first university-based formal volunteer service program in the country. “Pahinungód” is a Cebuano term that means “offering” to a noble purpose. It is the closest Filipino translation of the message conveyed by the Oblation, which is “offering oneself in the service of the nation.”
It articulates the social responsibility of UP as a national university to serve the Filipino people. It also serves as a venue for values education among students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the University.
At present, the UP System Ugnayan ng Pahinungód is headed by Dr. Marie Therese Angeline P. Bustos of the College of Education. Meanwhile, the UPD Ugnayan ng Pahinungód is headed by Jowima Ang-Reyes, Ph.D., RSW of the College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD). Its office is currently located at 6th Floor Student Union Building, UP Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines.
HISTORY
In the early 1990s, UP Diliman professors Dr. Maria Luisa Doronila and Dr. Levidina Cariño published a study entitled “The Meaning of UP Education” which evaluated the knowledge, attitude, and values of UP students and faculty. The study showed that social responsibility, ethics, and morality did not register as important values among the students of the University. Then, a feature article titled “Has UP lost its soul?” was released, disseminating these findings, which prompted a university-wide discussion on the role of UP as a national university.
As a response to this challenge, the University of the Philippines initiated the Ugnayan ng Pahinungód during the term of then-UP President Emil Q. Javier (1993 – 1999). Among its goals was to make UP more caring and committed to serving deprived communities, in line with its mandate to serve the people. Moreover, the creation of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungód aimed to provide students, faculty, and other constituents of the University with an avenue to manifest and further develop their love of country and their sense of social justice.
The Ugnayan ng Pahinungód was instituted in all constituent units of the University. On September 7, 1994, the System Office was inaugurated with Dr. Ledivina Cariño as founding System director (1994 – 1998). During this time, Dr. Oscar Ferrer of UP CSWCD headed the UPD Ugnayan ng Pahinungód. He was the first unit director of the office who helped pioneer a total of 10 programs, which included the Tutorial Service Program, the Affirmative Action Program, the Social Welfare Service Program, the Peer Counseling Program, the Ecology Camp Program, among others.
Under Dr. Ferrer’s directorship (1994-1997), volunteers from different UP Diliman colleges, especially from the College of Home Economics (CHE), were given opportunities to provide daycare tutorials and nutritious meals to students in grassroots communities. Volunteers were also sent to Aeta communities to help in restoring their houses following the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. Apart from this, others were involved in resettlement programs in Zambales as well as social welfare activities in different shelters, orphanages, and even nursing homes for the elderly.
In 1997, Dr. Grace Aguiling-Dalisay became the second unit director of the UPD Ugnayan ng Pahinungód. During her term, she continued to implement the regular programs of the office, namely: the Affirmative Action Program, the Peer Counseling Program, the Ecology Camp Program, the Relief and Rehabilitation Program, among others. The office was also able to implement a project for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in Quezon City Jail, where volunteers assisted in providing paralegal, psychosocial, and livelihood services. It was also during this time when the Gurong Pahinungód program was launched. For about a year, Dr. Aguiling-Dalisay held two posts simultaneously: as UPD Ugnayan ng Pahinungód director and as System director, following the completion of Dr. Cariño’s term.
When Dr. Ma. Theresa De Villa of the UP College of Education accepted the post to lead the UPD Ugnayan ng Pahinungód as its third unit director, Dr. Aguiling-Dalisay concentrated on her System Office post. During Dr. De Villa’s term, the office prioritized the Gurong Pahinungód program and was able to deploy many volunteers mostly from the colleges of engineering, business administration, social sciences and philosophy, and economics. A Service Learning option for NCPAG students was also implemented to assist elderly people in underserved communities with processing their senior citizen identification cards. In addition, the office continued to implement the Quezon City Jail project which provided tutorials and psychosocial support to persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).
In 2002, the UPD Ugnayan ng Pahinungód was merged with the Office of Extension Coordination (OEC) and transferred from the Office of the Chancellor to the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Dr. Cynthia Grace Gregorio of the College of Science took over the office and continued to implement programs under OEC. This continued with Dr. Ma. Crisanta Nelmida Flores of the College of Arts and Letters as director of the Extension Office and, consequently, of the UPD Ugnayan ng Pahinungód. However, in 2008, the office officially discontinued its operations due to changes in policy directions in the University.
For 11 years, only the Pahinungód offices in UP Manila and UP Los Baños were able to sustain operations. Fortunately, after UP President Danilo Concepcion signed EO No. PDLC 19-01 in 2019, the System Office of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungód was reactivated, revitalizing all its constituent offices, including the UPD Ugnayan ng Pahinungód.
Today, the UPD Ugnayan ng Pahinungód continues to cultivate the spirit of volunteerism among its Iskolar ng Bayan as well as affirm the public service function and role of the University. Through its programs, the office lives up to the mandate of UP to serve the needy, the marginalized, and the vulnerable. In coming years, the UPD Ugnayan ng Pahinungód hopes to contribute more to the legacy of volunteerism in the University, shaping both Utak at Puso (minds and hearts) in the service of the nation.