The Commission on Higher Education(CHED) Monitoring and Evaluation Team for Dental Education gave the College of Dentistry an overall mark of 77.4%. On August 30, 2006, the CHED’s team, composed of five members arrived at the College of Dentistry for their regular evaluation and monitoring visit that include other dental schools in the Philippines. The evaluators were composed of two members coming from the Technical Committee for Dental Education, two from the Office of Programs and Studies, and Dr. Digna M. Lanuza, CHED Region IV-A Health Supervisor. Dr. Virgines, COD Dean mentioned that two of the visiting team members were former deans of UE and UP College of Dentistry. The team commented that the college got a high mark compared to other dental schools when AUP COD is still new and no alumni yet, one criterion that was examined during evaluation.

Dr. Virgines revealed that the COD will be relocated in the future to a new building beside the proposed AUP Medical Center Complex. She further said that the GC, LLU, and NASDAD (National Association of SDA Dentists) have committed to support and raise funds by putting up NASDAD/Loma Linda – World Medic Inc. Foundation based in LLU to received donations for the construction of the new building.

Adventist University of the Philippines was again featured as one of the top 3 schools out of 22 schools nationwide that joined the 25th National Med-Tech Inter-School Quiz Show on September 8, 2006. AUP student representatives to the quiz show bagged the third place thus putting AUP for the 6th time among the top schools offering the Medical Technology course and member of PAMET/PASMETH (Phil. Asso. of Medical Technologists/Phil. Association of Schools of Medical Technology/Public Health)organization. AUP contestants were: Wayne Paez, Jan Charmaine Palomar, and Rey Christopher Torres from the clinical division.

Mae Sales, one the faculties of the department relate the following experience: …”at about 1 pm the contestants from 22 different schools began to answer the first question in the 30-question quiz show. After revealing the correct answer for the questions, the teams who got the right answer were announced which gave the audience an idea of the schools’ standing. With barely concealed excitement and anticipation, students and teachers awaited the answers of their teams during the second half. Cheers got louder and everybody appeared to be restless while requests for prayers started going around the AUP supporters. By the 30th question, it seemed that AUP would not join the top three schools by a point. After the tie-breaker, certificates for the participants were handed out. A little bit disappointed, the AUPians started to leave to get a head start on the way home since it was a Friday. Then they started announcing the top 3 schools. It turned out that AUP got the third place! Trinity University of Asia got first place and Far Eastern University (FEU) the second place. It was so unexpected that the students started jumping and cheering. After having their pictures taken, students and teachers headed home, elated and very thankful. Praise be to God!”.

A combined representative group of AUP Colleges and Philippine International Church (PIC) ministries delivered loads of funs and goodies to displaced residents around Mayon volcano that were temporarily sheltered in six separate evacuation centers in Legazpi, Albay. In August 30, 2006 at the culmination of the week of prayer, Mr. Leomer Batulayan, the leader of the group, and who is also the AUP director of Community Extension Services and at the same time with Adventist Community Service ministry of PIC called for donations from the AUP residents that responded positively to the call. So in the evening of that day a busload of goodies and 34 students and faculty traveled to Bicol to deliver the goods. The manner in which the group gave out the goodies is quite unique. They first rallied the evacuees to a social gathering and ask couples and young people to join in “social games”, the kind of games Adventists do. And after having fun and laugther, the team handed out for each couple participant a package containing food for a family which included rice, loaf bread (AUP’s LRT) noodles and canned goods, while for the young people they gave packages that contain personal items like tooth paste, soaps, towels, etc. Together with Mr. Batulayan in this trip are students representing the National Service Training Program (NSTP), Master Guides and Pathfinders, Campus Youth Ministries (CYM) and the College of Theology. Mr. Rey Laberinto, associate of Batulayan and Dr. Israel Andoy from the COT provided assistance also.

In a communication sent to faculty and students of the university dated August 25, Dr. Israel Andoy, coordinator of AUP’s Religious Affairs and the lead person in the annual ingathering campaign for AUP from August 31-September 3, 2006 spelled out new focus for the gathered ingathering funds. He stated that the money received will be used in accordance with the guidelines given by the DSWD(Department of Social Welfare and Development) of the government. The breakdown is the following:

Education	50%	for scholarship program in the dept, as financial assistance to needy students.
Welfare	10%	for CES program of the department
Medical	20%	for medical/dental outreach, emergency fund
Moral uplift	10%	also for CES programs of the department
Contingency Fund	10%	to be used under the Administrator’s discretion

Aboard 2 busses and a convoy of smaller vehicles the Young Voices (YV) of AUP together with their very supportive parents went for an outreach program to GAO Church in Quezon City on September 9. This is the second major outreach activity this semester of the group composed of more than 50 elementary school pupils most of them children of the faculty. They sang three songs in the Sabbath School program, one in the Hour of Worship and more than a dozen songs during their afternoon concert. Also with the group was Mrs. Flor Marticio, Director of the Guidance Services Dept. who was the Hour of Worship speaker. The first outreach program was on June 17 in San Pablo with Pastor Perdon as speaker.

The group is under the directorial skills of Joel Punay a BS Education graduate of AUP and who is presently taking up BS Nursing. He is also the choir director of the College of Education Chorale and had been directing church choirs and chorales that have won in regional and national choir contests. Practice sessions of the YV include separate hours for individual and group voice lessons that continue to enhance the quality of their tones, distinctly for children. Also included are exercises on self discipline, and stage presence. All these qualities found in their performances coupled with the guidance of their parents have made the YV one of the most sought after choirs on campus. To date they have sung in many school functions such as the University Week of Prayer, vespers, Sabbath School and hour of worship services on campus and at Bauan church in Batangas, San Pablo, and Puting Kahoy Church

The YV under its founder, Mrs. Ermilin Diamante, of the Music Dept. and former choir director Joylin Culibra, a senior Music Major had been singing since last school year (2005-2006). They had sung in a number of churches to as far as Matnog, Sorsogon, Samar and Leyte in the Southern Philippines . This year the group is scheduled for more major presentations and outreach programs from November to April. These include the Education Week celebration in AUP, then in Santiago , Isabela and St. Scholastica’s College in Sta Rosa, and in Mindanao for the summer break.

To paraphrase the statement of their skillful and dedicated choir director, “The children must learn how to experience the joy of serving God through their singing talents…that is the primary goal of the YV”

For bookings, appointments, and donations please contact any of the following officers who are all AUP workers: President: Ruben Carpizo; Vice President: Eleonor Castillo; Secretary: Julie Golosino; Treasurer: Romelda Rodelas; PIO: Amie Cordial

Dr. Danilo Poblete, the newly appointed vice president for the academic affairs of AUP in June of this year was faced with the formidable tasked of considering the plight of the college of nursing that is in dire need of having a base hospital. He told that the need of having a base hospital for the CON is “a matter of survival of AUP.” The CON need came about when the college enrolment swelled to a magnitude that MAMC(formerly MSH) could no longer accommodate. MAMC as AUP’s affiliate and base hospital has now become congested with clinical students coming from AUP and from the College of Medical Arts of MAMC. This year, all nursing students are now accommodated in AUP, which in the past the clinical students used to reside in MAMC dormitories but now are turned over to the MAMC administration. It has also become necessary that the clinical students reside in AUP campus for a closer supervision of their whereabouts. Because of limited accommodation in MAMC, AUP nursing students can only be there from Sunday to Tuesday. One thing to consider too is the distance of AUP from affiliate hospitals which become a stressful point for both students and clinical instructors for most of their time were spent in travel which students has to pay an added expense amounting to Php 12,500.00 per semester.

The matter of looking for affiliate hospital to fill in the needed clinical practice hours of students has become the continued burden of Dinah Galang, dean of CON. Hospital for affiliation now had become scarce considering that many of these hospital has also opened their own college of nursing and to be able to get one does not only require good amount of persuasion but political connection even with government hospital. Added to these is the continued and maintained negotiation to keep the affiliate hospital otherwise other college of nursing will take our slot.. One scheme to get an affiliate hospital is to buy or to put up a share of investment with the owners. AUP recently bought a share in one of the hospitals being constructed about 5 kilometers east of AUP, the owners however have communicated lately that AUP had to put in 50 million pesos so that it can be a base hospital for CON. AUP administration stand however is to use the said amount to construct its own hospital.

Presently, 40% of the total undergraduate students enrolled in AUP are nursing students. A great number of them are housed in the dormitories and dine in the cafeteria. Many of the general courses in AUP, Biology, Chemistry, and Social Sciences are 70 -80 percent populated by freshman and sophomore nursing students. Considering these parameters it is going to be detrimental to AUP’s economic survival should the nursing students are not kept and maintained.

Another impending problem that AUP may have to deal in the immediate future is in the use of AUP’s property. The land in which AUP is now located is formerly occupied with tenant farmers that planted sugar cane. The updated agrarian reform law known as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law had included lands planted with sugarcanes to be placed under agrarian reform program. This law implies that no private individuals or institutions could own an arable land greater than what the law specifies, it must be transferred to the tenants. It’s the reason why AUP do not plant sugarcanes anymore and the putting up of Agriculture department made a good reason to have some areas as experimental field for the department. However, vast tract of AUP’s property remains to be develop yet. A hospital structure is envisioned to occupy 5 hectares of idle AUP land and considering its expansion to a medical center complex where the future College of Medicine and Allied Health will also be located would occupy an area of about 30 hectares. These future appropriation of the land would suffice to show that AUP’s property is being developed.

One constrain that is hindering AUP to proceed with the plan to construct a hospital is its economic viability. Will the future hospital have sufficient clientele to sustain its operation economically? I have post this question to Dr. Butch Garcia, a surgeon, and former AUP Health Director and Dr. Shirley Pamintuan, a GP and who has been the clinic physician since the early establishment of AUP in Silang. Both doctors have told me that the present bed capacity(10 beds) of the clinic which is until now is categorized as a primary health care facility is no longer sufficient to cater to AUP’s residents much more with other patients coming from Tagaytay and Sta. Rosa. They both suggested that a 50 bed capacity hospital would just be enough to accommodate the number of those wanting to be accommodated in the clinic. Now to have a 50 bed hospital would also necessitate to raise its category to a secondary health care facility if not tertiary. It also means that other specialties must be opened, facilities upgraded, and therefore these added amenities not present in the clinic would invite more clientele. There are not few instances that some emergency cases coming from Sta. Rosa are rushed to AUP clinic because the road to Binan where some tertiary hospital are located is most of the time under a heavy traffic situation. Another thing is the unique quality that our Adventist health care facility have over other hospitals around us. This is the loving and caring doctors and nurses. That alone, Dr. Pamintuan says would attract patrons to AUP hospital.

Construction of a hospital would therefore keep AUP float economically and possibly an increased revenue and prestige should future development be geared toward the development of a first class health care and training facility. ---jgg