The Virtual 2020 UPIEAA Annual General Assembly

Celebrating UP IE Alumni Excellence amidst the pandemic

The UP Industrial Engineering Alumni Association traditionally holds its annual homecoming and general assembly in the last quarter of the year.  In 2019, alumni got a chance to see the new IE/ME Building as this was where the homecoming was held.

However, the pandemic and lockdown of 2020 forced the cancellation of the homecoming and moved the general assembly to a virtual format.  The UPIEAA decided to then include this as part of the IEmagineering webinar series – online events and lectures for UP IEs on relevant topics.

On November 28, 2020, the webinar “Digital Banking in the New Normal” was held with Ramon Jocson, Chief Operating Officer of the Bank of the Philippine Islands and UP IE batch 1982, as keynote speaker. Over 90 alumni dialed in to listen and participate in a lively discussion. This was followed by the Annual General Assembly. 

In his annual report, UPIEAA President Ricky Pena said, “In these trying times, and in this great pause, we go back to our core purpose as the UPIEAA Board – finding ways to give back by sharing our hopes and dreams as an IE community, wanting to make a difference in this time of pandemic, and beyond, building as IEs, whatever field we may be in, a way forward that will make life better than how it has always been.”  He enumerated some of the major achievements in 2020:

• Focus on the UPIE AchIEvers program

Six scholars for SY 2019-2020 and three for SY2020-2021.  The scholarship program was realigned to allow the scholars to use the scholarship money for school-related concerns during the pandemic (e.g. internet access, data charges, devices upkeep), so that the grantees can focus better on their studies.  Beyond funding, the Board also hosted several “Kamustahan” calls with the scholars to provide mentorship and emotional support.

• Reach out to fellow alumni in relevant channels and through activities in the time of the pandemic

The pandemic forced a change in approach and the IEmagineering seminar series was reborn in the form of free webinars.  In 2020, three webinars were held, with each session continuing to reach more alumni.  The Board also reached out to alumni through a series of BaZooKa Sessions (short for Batch/Barkada Zoom Kamustahan).  This allowed batchmates to catch up, while providing the Board a venue to update the alumni on its activities.

• Continue promoting excellence and recognizing achievements in the IE field through the Outstanding Alumni Awards

As we celebrate excellence in our ranks, the following awards were accorded in the annual assembly;

• Luis Pascual Academic Excellence Award in IE for the graduating batch is Mr. Jo Adrian P. del Mundo (summa cum laude)
• Aura C. Matias (IE ’82) for National Achievement Award in Engineering Education
• Norman K. Macapagal (IE ’77) for International Achievement Award in Construction Management
• Ronald Francis Suarez (IE ’92) for National Achievement Award in Corporate Social Responsibility
• Jerry Uy Rapes (IE ’87) for National Achievement Award in Entrepreneurship in I.E.

The Annual General Assembly proved that no pandemic, no lockdown can hold back the UP IE professional!  As the Board continues to work through this “new normal”,
the commitment to make a difference as Industrial Engineers remains.