Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand 
why the old poets of China went so far
and high 
into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

 Photo: Student awardees of the UP Asian Center. Courtesy of Anica Alcopra


Ten UP Asian Center students were recognized for their academic performance at the Parangal sa Mag-aaral on 27 April 2017, a ceremony held at the University Theater, University of the Philippines Diliman. They received “University Scholar” awards either for the second semester of A.Y. 2015-2016 and the first semester of A.Y. 2016-2017. 

University Scholars are students whose General Weighted Average (GWA) within a semester is 1.45 or higher:

  • Dominic Ambat
  • Clarissa Camaya
  • Andrie Co
  • Mlodina Cruz
  • Randall Garcia
  • Ven Inting
  • Kevin  Mandrilla
  • Bel Plotena
  • Mariz Reyes
  • Richard Rodriguez

The following Asian Center students were also recognized as Student Achievers for having participated in international competitions or presented their research work at international conferences.

  • Latasha Carreon, 1st Prize for “An Amazing Short Break in Taiwan” essay and photo contest by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office
  • Jefferson Mendez, Head Delegate Philippine Representative to ASEAN Youth Representatives in experiencing the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy conducted by the Office of the Permannent Secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister of Thailand
  • Jeanena Rafer, Presenter of “Filipino and Japanese gays in wartime film” at the 21st Young Scholars’ Conference on Philippine Studies in Japan at the Kagoshima University
  • Anica Alcopra, Presenter of “Perceptions of Philippines and Japan on Security Challenges and Interests: An Assessment on the expansion of Philippine-Japan Defense Cooperation” at the 21st Young Scholars’ Conference on Philippine Studies in Japan at the Kagoshima University
  • Alexandra David, Presenter of “Reassassing Connections: Japan Image and Filipino Youth Mobility” at the 21st Young Scholars’ Conference on Philippine Studies in Japan at the Kagoshima University
  • Karen Calimlim, Michiko Acaylar, Gemma Pagulayan, Camille Untalan, Presenters of “Perspectives of Filipino Consumers on the Authenticity of Japanese Food in Little Tokyo” at the 21st Young Scholars’ Conference on Philippine Studies in Japan at the Kagoshima University
  • Edenille Santos, Presenter of “Solving Population and Economic Problems in the Philippines and Japan: A Socio-Economic Perspective” at the 1st JSA-ASEAN Graduate Studies Conference

Dr. Eduardo Tadem was also recognized for his invaluable service to the university. Dr. Tadem continues to serve as a professorial lecturer at the UP Asian Center, focusing on research and seminar interests like rural development, agrarian reform and the peasantry, Area Studies and Southeast Asian Studies, Mindanao, social movements and the civil society organization, and globalization from below.

To learn more about the Recognition Day, read the press release from the University of the Philippines


The UP Asian Center offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. The Center offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. Get an overview of these programs. The Asian Center also houses a peer-reviewed, open-access journal, Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia. It has published several books and monographs, and hosts or organizes various lectures and conferences.