A new and exciting way to experience a visit to UPLB is taking shape with the UPLB Campus Heritage Walk led by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA).

The UPLB Campus Heritage Walk is a program under UPLB-PASEO or UPLB Promoting Agroforest Stewardship and Ecological Observations through Edutourism that was launched on September 27, 2023, with funding from the Commission on Higher Education.

UPLB-PASEO is a community program headed by UPLB OVCCA that aims to promote the edutourism landscape by combining education and tourism.

The UPLB Campus Heritage Walk showcases the rich culture and history behind several prominent landmarks and icons around the campus.

Through this immersive edutourism activity, the participants experienced a story-filled learning event facilitated by Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Roberto P. Cereno, who is also the program leader of UPLB PASEO.

The two-hour tour began at what now remains of the Agricultural Education portal near the College of Development Communication and ended at the Ani sculpture that stands near the Animal Science arch.

In between, the other destinations are The Man, the Plow, and the Carabao sculpted by National Artist Guillermo Tolentino, the Academic Heritage Monument, the College Historical Marker, and the UP Oblation.

Covered under the Heritage Walk is a visit to the statue of Mt. Makiling’s mountain nymph, Mariang Dalambanga, a sculptural piece by Moises Villaluz; the Bienvenido M. Gonzalez Hall, which houses the UPLB Main Library and executive offices; and, standing guard in front of the said building, a statue of a winged tamaraw that people call Pegaraw, referencing the winged horse of Greek mythology, the Pegasus. Pegaraw is a creation of National Artist Napoleon V. Abueva.

Afterward, the group also visited and learned about the history of the Student Union Building, DL Umali Hall, the Alumni Plaza, Thai Pavilion, Nihon Koen, the Kapit-kapit monument, Baker Hall, UPLB Techno-hub and One-Stop-Shop, and the Ani.

Jose Albert Sabiniano, one of the participants and aspiring tour guide for the UPLB Campus Heritage Walk, said that he appreciated the holistic learning experience that the activity offered.

[”Bilang isang miyembro ng unibersidad, nanumbalik ‘yung pakiramdam ng pagiging proud na dito ako nag-aaral.”]

Joining the Heritage Walk were students from UPLB PASEO’s pool of tour guides who participated in the Campus Tour Heritage Walk Training on February 22, 2024.

Frechie Lo, project head of Program 1 Capacity Building & Training and one of the members of Project 2 about on-campus itineraries, and Angela Limpiada, forester and in-charge of the tourism program of the Makiling Botanic Gardens, explained that this kind of initiative is about learning and leisure, mainstreaming UPLB’s core as an academic institution for agriculture and forestry.

The UPLB Campus Heritage Walk was created under the Culture and Arts focus area of the UPLB-PASEO. An online booking system on the PASEO website will soon be launched to facilitate the admission of visitors and the systematic flow and scheduling of tours. The first run of the UPLB Campus Heritage Walk took place on March 5, 2024.