Season 3 bannered stories on a couple of victories that UPLB students had in the international arena.

Students brought pride to UPLB after they represented and won for the university the top prizes in international competitions, namely: in the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) Global Business Case Competition and the World Universities Debate Championship. Both are the first time in which UPLB was represented in these competitions.

Season 3 also featured how UPLB is preparing the student dormitories in anticipation of the resumption of physical classes.

Team Kayumanggi wins 1st-runner up in IFAMA Competition

Students from the Department of Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship of the College of Economics and Managament (DAME-CEM), won 1st runner up in the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) Global Business Case Competition.

These students, namely: Rhiene Lee Bagtas, Missy Nicole Disu, Raymond Villarivera, Soffia Ayo, and Krisha Garcia, were chosen and guided by two of their professors in agribusiness management, Renen Szilardo C. de Guzman and Maria Noriza Q. Herrera. This is the first time that UPLB was able to send representatives to this competition. Their name, Team Kayumanggi, carried with it their national pride as representatives of the Philippines in the competition.

The virtual competition, held on May 15, consisted of a preliminary round and the finals round.

Team Kayumanggi won 1st runner up and received a cash award, internship opportunities within the organization, and complimentary attendance for the IFAMA in-person conference in Costa Rica in 2022.

In their interview, the students said that being able to join this competition is already a big deal to them because they get to have the opportunity to experience how the knowledge from their course program applies in the real world and in a competitive setting.

De Guzman added that securing a place in the finals is a validation that UPLB is giving quality education to its students that is aligned and at par with the world class standards. As teachers, he said that they feel validated that they are producing globally competitive students in the university.

UPLB students represent the Philippines in World Universities Debating Championship

For the first time, students from UPLB reached the finals of the World Universities Debating Championship.

Jeremiah Pine, Arabelle Iza Barbin, and Gielarmi Julie Requina from the UPLB Debate Society participated in the competition, known as the largest debating tournament in the world. One of the advantages for this year’s debate was that it was held virtually which made it more accessible to participants.

Pine, who became one of the adjudicators in the World Universities Debating Championships, said that it is an honor to be able to join because they were able to represent not just UPLB but the Philippines as well. He mentioned that the registration fee for this competition is prohibitive, thus their failure to participate in the past.

Requina said that she did not expect that she would be interested in debating due to her fear of public speaking. What helped her to overcome this fear is by joining the UPLB Debate Society and learning from her orgmates.

The culmination of their activities in their organization helped them prepare for the championship debate. This includes nightly training at the Student Union building after classes prior to the pandemic, watching and analyzing both local and international news everyday, and learning about theories and concepts that are related to debate.

Aside from these activities, the organization also joined international competitions hosted by India, Yale, and Princeton, which became their training grounds for the World’s Universities Debating Championship.

Representing the Philippines is an honor for Barbin and Requina because it recognizes the potential of small universities like UPLB when it comes to international standards of debate.

“The fact that two Filipina women from UPLB are debating, then it’s not impossible for all other young debaters, said Barbin, who emphasized that debate should be for everyone. They encouraged the viewers to use their voice for the issues that they stand for and express their viewpoints through debate.

Updates on student housing in UPLB

John Mervin Embate, director of the Office of Student Housing (OSH), guested on the program to bring updates about the University’s dormitories. The OSH currently manages nine dormitories, namely: International House, Vet Med, Women’s Dorm, Men’s Dorm, ATI-NTC Residence Hall, New Dorm, Makiling Residence Hall, Forestry Residence Hall, and New Forestry Residence Hall.

According to Embate, they are using this time when students are away from the campus to make needed improvements in the university dorms. One of the biggest problems they encountered in the dorms was termite infestation. Since there are currently no students staying in the dormitories, the OSH grabbed the opportunity to conduct repairs and maintenance work on the dormitories, beginning with the Women’s Dorm. 

He said that there are more upcoming projects to look forward to, one of which is the reconstruction of new dorms, particularly the Men’s Dormitory.

Usapang UPLB is a segment of Galing UPLB, a university-based multi-platform program which is produced by the Department of Development Broadcasting and Telecommunication of the College of Development Communication, the Office of Public Relations, and the Office of Alumni Relations. Recently, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension also joined the team and handles the segment, Tuklas UPLB.

Galing UPLB airs live every Friday at 3 PM on Facebook, featuring news, current events, and note-worthy events and stories. All its episodes are available on Radyo DZLB’s Facebook page.