The University of the Philippines Tacloban College participated in a clean-up drive along Magsaysay Boulevard on Friday, 23 January 2026. The activity was organized by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Regional Office VIII in observance of January as Zero Waste Month and the 25th Anniversary of Republic Act No. 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000).

 

Reinforcing shared responsibility to protect the environment, volunteer administrators, faculty, staff, and students from UP Tacloban collected plastic waste and other litter along the sidewalk in front of AS Complex and Botanical Garden.

 

The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 aims to establish a comprehensive solid waste management program, focusing on waste reduction, segregation, recycling, and proper disposal.

Current Grade 11 students expecting to enter college in 2027 should take note of the following important dates:

 

March 2026 – Application Period

July 2026 – Release of Digital Test Permits

1 and 2 August 2026 – UPCAT Exam Dates

August 2026 – Submission of Grades

 

For official announcements and updates, please follow the UPCAT – U.P. System Facebook page.

The UP Tacloban Ugnayan ng Pahinungod and Division of Management held a “Pamasko Community Outreach and Capacity-Building Workshop” on 18 December 2025 at the Greendale Multi-Purpose Building in Brgy. 105, Suhi, Tacloban City.

 

Forty-seven women from Yolanda resettlement sites participated in the sustainable livelihood and enterprise development workshop on wine bottle design and bracelet making led by Division of Management faculty members and Division chairperson Asst. Prof. Anida Bernadette Lorenzo.

The appointment recognizes Yap-Dejeto’s contributions to research, innovation, and public service, and her commitment to academic excellence.

 

Yap-Dejeto is a faculty member of UP Tacloban’s Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics where she teaches courses in the BS Biology and MS Environmental Science programs. She has a PhD in Aquatic Bioscience from the University of Tokyo, MS in Marine Biology from the UP Marine Science Institute, and BS Biology from UP Cebu. Her research involvements include serving as Program Leader of the WATCH HAB R8 (Warning and Technology to Combat Hazards of Harmful Algal Blooms in Region VIII) Program funded by the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD); Project Leader of the Extraction and Utilization of Mussel Glycogen Project also funded by DOST-PCAARRD; research partner in the BLUE Cares Project/Blue Carbon Network funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Filipino Genome Project of the UP Natural Science Research Institute; and co-project leader of the CHED-LAKAS program “Real-time Monitoring and Early Warning for HABs using High Throughput Imaging and Molecular Methods” (HABs Watch). She is also the current president of the Biology Teachers Association of the Philippines (BIOTA) – Eastern Visayas Chapter.

This international recognition celebrates Alunan’s extensive literary career distinguished by major works that preserve regional history and champion literature in the mother tongue. Her most renowned collections include the award-winning “Running with Ghosts and Other Poems,” which chronicles regional trauma, and the critical, foundational anthologies “Tinalunay: Hinugpong nga Panurat nga Winaray,” “Susumaton: Oral Narratives of Leyte, and “Sa Atong Dila: Introduction to Visayan Literature.” Alunan’s enduring legacy is underscored by consistent national recognition, including six Palanca Awards for Poetry in English and one for Short Story in Cebuano, and Philippine National Book Awards for Best Book of Poetry in English (2019), Best Anthology in English (2019), Best Anthology in Waray (2017), and Best Translated Book (2016 and 2024).

 

The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is the United Kingdom’s premier literary charity. Its International Writers program, which was launched in 2020, is an award that recognizes the profound contribution of global authors to literature in English and highlights the power of literature to transcend borders and bring people together amidst rising extreme nationalism.

 

Alunan was a faculty member of UP Tacloban’s Division of Humanities and was declared UP Professor Emeritus upon her retirement in 2008.

The UP Tacloban community congratulates the 2025 Harangdón awardees: Assistant Professor Efmer E. Agustin (Most Outstanding Faculty), Ms. Rosanna S. Burre (Most Outstanding Administrative Staff – Supervisory Level), Mr. Angel R. Abiabi (Most Outstanding Administrative Staff – Supervisory Level), and UPTC Economics Society (Most Outstanding Student Organization).

 

‘Harangdón’ is a Waray word meaning ‘worthy of respect and emulation’. Established in 2021, the UP Tacloban Harangdón Awards recognizes exemplary members of the UP Tacloban community whose work embodies the University’s standards of excellence and public service, contributes to institutional growth and development, and brings honor to the College and the University as a whole. The award is the equivalent of the Gawad Tsanselor (Chancellor’s Award) in the other UP constituent universities.

 

Asst. Prof. Efmer Agustin, the 2025 Harangdón awardee for Most Outstanding Faculty, teaches Literature, Spanish, and General Education courses in the Division of Humanities. He is also the faculty-in-charge of the UPTC Sentro ng Wikang Filipino. An award-winning writer, he earned his BA (Communication Arts) degree at UP Tacloban and his MA in Comparative Literature at UP Diliman.

 

Ms. Rosanna Burre, the 2025 Harangdón awardee for Most Outstanding Administrative Staff – Supervisory Level, is the head of UP Tacloban’s Budget Office. A UP Tacloban alumna with a BA Social Sciences (Economics) degree, she has been working at UP Tacloban for 22 years. She also has a Master in Public Resource Management from Eastern Visayas State University.

 

Mr. Angel Abiabi, Jr., the 2025 Harangdón awardee for Most Outstanding Administrative Staff – Non-supervisory Level, is an Administrative Assistant II (Audio-Visual Aide Technician II). He has been working at UPTC for 15 years, providing technical support to college events and consistently earning a Very Satisfactory performance rating.

 

UPTC Economics Society (EcoSoc), the 2025 Harangdón awardee for Most Outstanding Student Organization, is the organization of BS Economics majors. It spearheads the annual Eastern Visayas Regional Economic Conference and Economic and Financial Literacy Week seminars and competitions for high school students. In 2025 UPTC EcoSoc also co-organized the Oikonomia forum series of the BS Economics program.

The speakers were Leyte Provincial Board Member Atty. Ronnan Christian M. Reposar, Regional Development Council (RDC) VIII Private Sector Representative for the Environment Mr. Judah S. Aliposa, and Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) VIII Assistant Regional Director Atty. Jam M. Colas-Villaber.