The UP, Magbubunga Tayo! and UPdanay fund campaign ran by UPV Foundation Incorporated (UPVFI) will now be focusing its relief operations towards addressing the needs of the members of the UPV internal and external communities who are seriously affected by the public health emergency that required an enhanced community quarantine.

“During disasters, the most basic needs are to be attended,” says Dr. Johnrev Guilaran, clinical psychologist and assistant professor of the College of Arts and Sciences, UP Visayas during an orientation for the frontliners of the university’s six dormitories at the Miagao campus.

Officials of UP Visayas led by Chancellor Ricardo Babaran are turning over one month of their Representation and Travel Allowance (RATA), honorarium or other additional benefits to UP, Magbubunga Tayo! to sustain the UPDanay donation drive and relief efforts during the current public health emergency.

The bayanihan spirit is vibrant in UPV, as seen in various initiatives undertaken by UPV alumni, students, other constituents, as well as some members of the community. It has been three weeks since community quarantine measures have been imposed in the Province of Iloilo. Nonetheless, cash and in-kind donations have been flowing in, thanks to the initiative of benevolent people, whose sense of solidarity and genuine empathy for those affected, outweigh the desire for personal convenience. What lies ahead of April 14, the day that the Enhanced Community Quarantine order is set to end, still remains uncertain. But we find comfort in knowing that the UPV community teems with social consciousness, unwavering spirit and genuine empathy, necessary in coping with a global pandemic such as COVID-19.

Photos by: Dr. Ramer Bautista

UP Visayas is gearing up to produce more alcohol solutions for use in sanitation in the current public health crisis.

The University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) through its Philippine Genome Center (PGC Visayas), transferred its RT Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine to the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) for COVID-19 testing to complement the existing PCR machine of WVMC.