Golden Pillars Progress Update
By Raymond Freth A. Lagria
The Golden Pillars Project was launched during the IE Department’s 50th anniversary in 2021. The project enjoins all UP IE alumni to connect, get involved and give back, to help equip seven new IE laboratories and classrooms, support three new professorial chairs, and finance faculty development and enhanced learning equipment. The project aims to further elevate the educational capacities and expertise of the department, to make it more capable to respond to the ever-changing needs of the industry and society.
The Golden Pillars project started during the anniversary year, from July 31, 2021 top July 31, 2022. However, the project was halted due to the challenges brought upon by the pandemic during its original run. Now, it is back and has been extended up to July 31, 2023 as declared by the UP IE Alumni Association.
The Golden Pillars currently stands at 15.52% of the target amount of Php 27 million. Two new professorial chairs are funded by Dr. Aura Matias (‘82) as well as Mr. Antonio and Leticia R. Bello. The professorial chairs amount to Php 120,000.00 per year for the next 6 years.
As for the facilities, a classroom was fully renovated. Room 109 of the IEME building was personally renovated and supplied with furniture by the Chung family, led by Mr. Arnold Chung (‘06) who is an alumnus and lecturer of the department. The renovated room was inaugurated last August 15, 2022, and was made in the name of his father, Mr. Bonifacio Mario Chung.
Two laboratories are also fully funded. First, the Integrated Product Design and Development Laboratory (IPDD) was fully funded by Mr. Eric O. Recto (‘85). The IE Department received its new desktop and laptop computers last January 2023. These computers will be used by students in implementing product design concepts. The procurement of other furniture and supplies for the IPDD is still ongoing. On the other hand, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Cognitive and Physical Laboratories (HFE Labs) are also fully funded by Mr. Bing and Elise Del Rosario ( ‘77). One of the highlights of the donation is the immediate repair of the Physical Lab (MH 409-411) walls and electrical sockets and the installation of air purifiers.
In addition to the donations received, pledges have also been made by other alumni members. One of the high value pledges is the provision of a managed internet connection equipment to the IE wing of the IEME Building as well as renovation of the IE Computing Laboratory made by Mr. Macario Fojas (‘79). The intentions of other donations and pledges range from faculty development, replacement of existing lab computers, and purchase of new learning equipment.
As the Golden Pillars Project nears its end this 2023, the UP IE Alumni Association and the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research express their deepest gratitude to those who have donated and will be donating to the Golden Pillars Project.
Once again, we would like to call for donations to the Golden Pillars Project and help the IE Department achieve its goals of providing world class Industrial Engineering education to the young, deserving Filipinos.
Donors who wish to donate outside of the sponsorship categories shown below are more than welcome to do so. Donors may also specify the intent of the donation. We welcome pledges for collection during the period of the Golden Pillars project.
| Sponsorship Categories | Minimum Amount of Donation |
| Platinum | P 1,000,000 |
| Gold | P 500,000 |
| Silver | P 100,000 |
| Bronze | P 50,000 |
| Patron | P 10,000 |
The name(s) of the donor(s) (subject to a limited number of characters, depending on donation level) will be displayed per sponsorship category on the Donors Wall at the UP IE/ME Building (see figure below).
Please make checks payable to the:
University of the Philippines Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (UPERDFI)
Or you can make a deposit to its account: BPI 3081 0292 44. UPERDFI’s contact number is 09277980451. Kindly email a copy of your deposit slip or fund transfer confirmation to goldenpillars2021@upieaa.org.
The UP IE/ME Building and the Designated Donor Wall (Left Wall Upon Entrance to Building)
About the Author:
Raymond Freth A. Lagria (UPIE Batch 2005) is an Assistant Professor and the current Department Chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, University of the Philippines Diliman College of Engineering. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Industrial Engineering both in UP Diliman. He is a subject matter expert for the DOST’s project SPARTA and has led and served several process improvement projects for UP Diliman. He specializes in the areas of Survey Operations Management, Business Analytics Applications, Data Warehousing, Information Systems, Decision Support Systems, and Discrete Events Simulation.
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