Tuesday, 28 January, I am looking at my photograph (superimposed) taken on the 14th of February 2019, with the Oblation statue at UP Los Baños as if asking in love:
Oblation: “What am I supposed to do – Instruction? Research? Extension? I have only 2 Arms!”
Frank H: “What about the Head?”
UP Los Baños should be the Header/Leader among schools, colleges & universities, SCUs, in Extension but, right now, it’s stuck on the pedestal of Trilogy of Functions – without being organized to carry out such functions dependently and independently. Declaring one’s love is not the same as showing it!
In 1959 when I was freshman for my BSA major in Ag Edu at the University of the Philippines’ College of Agriculture, UPCA, now UP Los Baños, UPCA was brandishing as weapon its trilogy of functions; today, everyone has forgotten the 3rd function.
Thursday, 30 January.The main photograph above, from the UPLB website[1], shows former UPLB Chancellor and former UP System President Emil Q Javier speaking as the guest of honor at the 29 January celebration of 22 years of the UPLB College of Public Affairs & Development, CPAf, at its headquarters[2]. CPAf Dean Rolando T Bello calls him the “Father of CPAf” as Jayson E Gloria reports, “NS Javier Reiterates CPAf’s ‘Raison D'être:”
National Scientist Javier reminded the CPAf constituents of their continuing responsibility and capability to assist the local government units (LGUs) in the delivery of basic services and to help empower farmers and beneficiaries of agrarian reform, the very reasons why CPAf was created during his term as UP President (1993-1999).
CPAf was founded in 1998, but even as a wide reader, I have not come across CPAf actively (a) collaborating with any of the LGUs in the country, not even in Laguna, where it is based, and/or (b) helping empower farmers and beneficiaries of agrarian reform. That is why I proposed this 30 January, in my essay “UPLB CPAf – What’s Rural Development Doing In A Place Like This?[3]” that CPAf involve itself with SCUs in the country, I viewing:
“CPAf in a national community education program in collaboration with the SCUs and with financing and management by the DA.”
On his part, Mr Javier focused on the LGUs:
There is a recurring need for human resource development in the LGUs so that (they) can deliver the services to the people. And we in the university can play that catalytic role.
On my part, as an educator and a communicator, I see UP Los Baños leading the SCUs in creating a national knowledge bank on agriculture, deposits of research of the SCUs themselves. I’ll call it here AgriText – “Text mo lang!” (Just text!) – for science that is accessible, in popular language, Internet-based, helping the DA in the field keep their science constantly up-to-date. Thus will the SCUs assist technicians in delivering knowledge directly to the people.
If so, I’m imagining UP Oblation saying, “I’m offering all the science that I know to my people!@517
[1]https://uplb.edu.ph/all-news/ns-javier-reiterates-cpafs-raison-detre/
[2]https://uplb.edu.ph/all-news/ns-javier-reiterates-cpafs-raison-detre/
[3]https://ithewizardofos.blogspot.com/2020/01/uplb-cpaf-whats-rural-development-doing.html
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