Central Philippine University

Weekly Centralian Link (August 4, 2017)

Two Centralians rank number 6 and 10 in the July 2017 Social Worker board exam

         
Britz Arthur Suelon Sajonia                                                                               Gizelle Grace Deado Ciudad

Central Philippine University once again takes pride of its new board topnotchers. In the July 2017 Social Worker Board Exams, two CPU graduates made it to the top ten board passers.

Britz Arthur Suelon Sajonia, and Gizelle Grace Deado Ciudad – both graduates of BS Social Work 2017 ranked number 6 and 10 respectively. Sajonia attained a rating of 84.40 %, while Ciudad has a rating of 83.90%. They lead the 113 new Centralian registered Social Workers.

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced last August 2, 2017 that out of the 5,997 board examinees, 3,951 passed the July 2017 board exams. CPU got a passing rate of 79.50% which is above the national passing rate of 65.88%.

Central Philippine University continually produces topnotchers and board passers through the implementation of the university’s vision of Exemplary Christian Education for Life (EXCEL).

Centralian appointed as UN Consul-General

Hon. Ramona Palabrica-Go, Former Mayor of the Municipality of San Enrique, was appointed as United Nations Consul-General of the International Commission of Diplomatic Relations Human Rights and Peace, International Governmental Organization United Nations at California, USA on July 12, 2017.

Go is a Centralian, a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Chemistry in 1977. A native of San Dionisio, Iloilo, she is hailed as the first woman Line General of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in 2011.

In 1986, she became a full-pledge pilot after training at the Aerostar Flight Training Center. She is the first woman military pilot of the Philippines.

As an Army cavalry officer, Go occupied primary staff positions (adjutant, personnel, intelligence, and education and training) in the Light Armor Brigade (now Light Armor Division). In the field of education and training, she served as Tactical Officer of the Combat Arms School and the Service Support School, and faculty member of the Army Command and General Staff College (now Army Command and Staff School). She was also designated as the Deputy Army Inspector General, the Secretary Army General Staff, the AFP Adjutant General, and the AFP Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, J1. She also headed the Establishment of Personnel Information Management System Project under the Philippine Defense Reform Program and served as President of the General Court Martial Number 1 (http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php/Ramona_P._Go).

The International Commission of Diplomatic Relation Human Rights and Peace is an international, non-for-profit, Sovereign Inter-Governmental Organization legally established by treaties under the Resolutions of Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (18th April, 1961) and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (18th April, 1963) to promote international co-operation (http://www.icdrhrp.org/index.php/about-us).

CPU-AAI Thailand donates funds to Scholars


Mr. Joseph S. Beloria, President of the CPU-AAI Thailand Grants-In-Aid hands over the donation to Dr. Margen A. Java Director of the Office of Student Development Programs.

The CPU Alumni Association Inc. Thailand Chapter donated 20,000 pesos to the Student Development and Programs on August 1, 2017. The whole amount was handed over by Mr. Joseph S. Beloria, President of the CPU-AAI Thailand Grants-In-Aid.

The donation is for the scholarship fund of their newly chosen scholars for academic year 2017-2018. CPU-AAI Thailand has four scholars currently enrolled in the university namely:

  1. Crystal Mae M. Braña
  2. Kimberly C. Caño
  3. Hyazinth G. Demotaño
  4. Jason L. Eraula

The CPU Student Development and Programs will be conducting a Scholarship Awarding Recognition Program on August 7, 2017 at the Alumni Promenade Concert Park. The event is to honor the generosity, commitment and service of Scholarship sponsors for their service towards the development of deserving Centralian students.

BSN Class 1992 visits CPU


25 years later – the CPU BSN Class of 1992 re-visits the College of Nursing.

Familiar faces gathered at the front of the Loreto D. Tupaz Building, home of the College of Nursing, as the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Class 1992 took their group photo. The meet up, 25 years after their graduation in Central, rekindled their friendship and reminisced their Centralian college days on July 28-30, 2017.


CPU BSN Batch 92 at the Iloilo Mission Hospital.

They also visited the College of Nursing and Iloilo Mission Hospital, a partner institution of CPU, which served as the venue of their hospital immersion. Through the CPU Alumni, Centralians around the globe are always happy to come home to CPU and re-experience the campus and the camaraderie brought about by the Central Spirit.

The 2017 Grand Alumni Homecoming and General Assembly will be held on September 30, 2017. Centralians around the globe are encouraged to come home at CPU.

Centralians in North Carolina hold Get-Together


Ties that bond – CPU Alumni Chapter San Francisco Bay Area holds a get-together.

A warm treat before the 2017 Grand Alumni and General Homecoming and General Assembly on September 30, 2017 – CPU Alumni Chapters all around the globe have been holding their meaningful get-togethers. One of them is the CPU North Carolina Chapter.

The group met at Isla Restaurant in Newark, California on July 29th, 2017. The warm summer weather outside Isla Restaurant was an indicator of the warmth of the Centralians inside.


Filipino food and Filipino smiles bring the heart home.

Fellowship and bonding are an understatement when it comes to the time spent together by this CPU alumni chapter in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Large and small group gatherings always lift everyone’s spirit, as evidenced here also by much laughter and the smooth progress of this planning meeting.

According to Kathy Leyble Kriewall, President of CPUNorCalAA, “We missed many who were not in attendance, but the majority will be at our August 12th Picnic event at Coyote Point in San Mateo.  All are welcome to join this gathering of the Central Philippine University Northern California Alumni Association.”

CPU Life Science Department opens new academic stream for BS Biology


Dr. Stella G. Fernandez, Chairperson of the CPU Life Science Department.

The Life Science Department revised the BS Biology program of CPU into two academic streams: One is the existing BS Biology, and the other is BS Biology with specialization in Microbiology. The latter can accommodate graduates from Packaging Engineering, HRM, BS Bio, MedLab Science, BS Chemistry and BSEd Science Ed-Bio. The students are only required to take 24 units of microbiology courses, and then they are eligible to take a board exam to become a registered microbiologist.

The primary objectives of the program are as follows:

1. To develop and maintain a high standard of practice in the field of microbiology.

2. To screen, identify, certify microbiologists for industry and the academe.

3. To formulate regulations and guidelines relative to certification, renewal of certification and membership Philippine Association of Microbiologists.

Dr. Stella G. Fernandez, Chairperson of the CPU Life Science Department, pointed out the challenges and demands for microbiologists in our society. “There is a need for more microbiologists; microbiology curriculum must be standardized and microbiologists should be accredited.” This new program seeks a closer linkage between the academe and industries.

Mark Clemens J. Ortaliz, a graduate of Electronics and Communications Engineering from Central Philippine University, and the CPU Webmaster is the first second courser to enroll in the program. He took the opportunity to study microbiology for his future engineering research.

This new stream includes subjects such as Basic Microbiology, Bacteriology, Virology and Mycology, and Microbial Ecology. CPU is hoping that more second courses will enroll in this program.

New Hope- Gugma-mela Ministry: serving Pastors, students and leaders


Rose Marie Aguirre, President of New Hope-Gugma-mela Ministry.

There is a special ministry called the New Hope – Gugma-mela. Its work is mainly to serve as a resource for pastors, leaders, emerging leaders and students. It has been conducting seminars and training for ministry in different cities of the Philippines.

In 2012 God provided a place for New Hope – Gugma-mela inside Central Philippine University so that it serves as a resource for student leaders of Christian campus ministries and other campus organizations.

One of the main objectives of this ministry is to promote daily Bible reading through the devotional and Bible Journaling materials that the office has developed. The promotion for Bible Journaling, a valuable program of Gugma-mela, helps pastors and students and organizations to keep track of their daily Bible studies and devotionals.


Gugma-mela Hearts to Hand program.

This ministry conducts devotionals and workshops with CPU colleges, church youth groups, Pastors’ seminars and other Christian churches in Iloilo to realize its objectives. The ministry continues to conduct Bible studies and devotionals in various student groups in CPU dormitories, work study groups and freshmen students among others.

Among its successful endeavors is the “Hearts to Hand” outreach project which extends food stuffs to the indigent children and communities.

Gugma is the Hiligaynon word for “love,” and mela is a pacific language in Hawaii which “means come together.” Originally based in the U.S., New Hope – Gugma-mela was brought to the Philippines. The establishment of this ministry in the campus was through the efforts of a Centralian, Rose Marie Varona Aguirre, who felt the calling of the God for her to come back to CPU and do this specific ministry.


Gugma-mela Feeding Program. 

Ms. Aguirre promotes the value of generosity in her Christian ministry and social organizations. She is a Rotarian who passionately shares her ideas and extends help to any person, especially those who are in need. Her civic programs include sharing of materials and other necessities to Pastors and Theology students. She continues to seek out poor and deserving persons whom she helps develop their talents especially in entrepreneurship.

The New Hope – Gugma-mela Christian Ministry continues to grow as it expands its network through its programs. Rose is a living example of what gugma and mela is all about. Come and visit the Gugma-mela office at the 2nd Floor of Alfonso Uy Student Union Center Building, CPU. Its relevant motto is RISE UP! (Refresh, Inspire, Strengthen, Equip, Unite, Persevere!).

FCYCP Inc. – Bridging Ties


Mr. Xu Bin and Mr. Mr. Yao-Yong Zeng with the faculty members of ZZUIT at the CPU Educational Media Center.

We live in the era of the global village, a single click or tap on the internet can reveal more about the world in seconds compared to spending months of travelling from one city to another. This comes with a vast accumulation of knowledge without the hassle of inconvenience however it tends to make us lose touch with the actual experience of language and culture.

Many organizations nowadays create venues for cultural exchange, many countries invest in exchange programs for education, sports, culture and the environment. They see the intrinsic value of experience as a means of making ties that bind countries through understanding and respect.

One of these organizations is the Filipino Chinese Youth Culture Promotion Inc. (FCYCP), based in Iloilo. The group aims to establish mutual connections between the Philippines and China through youth education and exchange.


Mr. Xu Bin (extreme left) and Mr. Mr. Yao-Yong Zeng (extreme right) together with CPU President, Dr. Teodoro C. Robles and CPU officials during their visit to ZZUIT last June 4-7, 2017.

The Philippines and China have hundreds of years in history together. It is thought that we had trading relationships with the Chinese as early as the 9th Century, even before the arrival of the Spaniards in 1521. According to the book “The Relations of the Chinese to the Philippine Islands” by Berthold Laufer, the geographical literature of the Chinese also abounds in accounts of the Philippines. The most important of these, frequently alluded to in these pages, is the “Tung hsi yang k´ao” (“Investigations regarding the Eastern and Western Ocean”), published in 618 — a very useful geographical work in twelve books, the descriptions of which, as a rule, refer to the time when Europeans first began to visit the Malayan regions.

It was in 1861, the Chinese first emigrated from the Fujian Province. Now the relations between two countries are stronger than ever through economic and cultural partnerships. It is also noted that the first Chinatown in the world was established in Binondo, Manila in 1594 – proof of the long-standing history of both countries.


Mr. Xu Bin and Mr. Mr. Yao-Yong Zeng together with the ZZUIT faculty visit the historic Miagao Church.

FCYCP Inc. aims to preserve these ties by conducting programs and activities. According to Mr. Yao-Yong Zeng, one of the founders of FCYCP Inc., they plan to provide opportunities for student and faculty exchange with CPU and Chinese Universities. “Our goal is to provide 1,000 youth visits in both countries. We want them to see how friendly the Filipinos are and how beautiful the Philippines is.” Yao is currently a Doctor of Management student in CPU.

The organization paved the way for the partnership between CPU and ZhengZhuo University of Industrial Technology in the Province of Henan, China. On June 4-7, 2017, CPU President, Dr. Teodoro Robles together with his wife, Mrs. Angel Robles, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Irving Domingo Rio, OIC, Office of International Relations and Cooperation, Prof. Anna May A. Yap-Zerrudo, were treated to an educational tour of the facilities, laboratories, and equipment of this university located at ZhengZhuo City, Henan Province, China. Dr. Robles was honored to speak before the graduating students as the Commencement Speaker for this year’s graduation exercises in the said university.

Faculty members of ZZUIT are currently in CPU namely: Dr. Yan Bing, Director of Personnel Department of ZZIT, Chen Yang, a specialist in the Beauty of Mathematics in Chinese Classical Culture, Peng Yuexing an expert in the Oriental Wisdom in Chinese Culture, Sun Qianwen an expert in Chinese Folk Music, Yang Zhenhua an expert in Chinese Tai Chi Chuan and a Guinness World Record holder, Zhang Ruijuan a specialist in the Evolution of Chinese Furniture and Zhang Zhuqing an expert in Chinese Machinery will be sharing their expertise to Centralians. The ZZUIT faculty will be observing classes and holding seminars and lectures about Chinese culture.

Mr. Yao shares that FCYCP Inc. would like to establish a Language and Cultural Center in the university. “About eight years ago, there was a proposal to have a Chinese center here in CPU. The center was supposed to feature books and materials about China and help CPU students learn more about Chinese history, literature and language. The project did not happen but we hope that it can happen soon.”


Visiting Professors from ZZUIT share what they are doing in their university with the Doctoral and Masteral students of CPU last July 29, 2017 at the CPU EMC Conference Room.

Mr. Xu Bin, also a founder of FCYCP Inc., shares that they also aim to put up Filipino Language and Cultural Center in Chinese Universities in mainland China so that Chinese students can also learn about Filipino culture. “It will help Chinese students know about the Philippines and encourage them to also study and visit here.”

The friendship between China and the Philippines has lasted for more than 600 years. Together, through educational and cultural partnerships both countries can gear towards innovations that will help both countries. “We should do more and extend deeply to protect and make our connections grow. We need the youth of both countries to make an impact in the modern world, to celebrate each other’s culture. They are the future leaders of the economy.  We hope that we can do more connections.” – Mr. Yao.

CPU has been known to cater international students around the globe. Its commitment to EXCEL (Exemplary Christian Education for Life) extends beyond the borders of the university. It hopes that the growing partnership between CPU and FYCPC Inc. will help enlighten both Chinese and Filipino about the beauty of its each other’s history and culture. “We should make more chances and opportunities to understand and know each other. CPU is a beautiful campus and it is one of the best schools in the region, our partnership with CPU will help us with our goals.” – Mr. Xu.