Filipino, Singaporean students engage in leadership exchange program
By Sonny Daanoy
Students from the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) and the Republic Polytechnic in Singapore (RP) joined forces for a monthlong leadership exchange program.
In a statement on April 19, the UPD-CS noted that this initiative is called the Temasek Foundation International Specialists’ Community Action and Leadership Exchange (TFI SCALE) Programme.

The TFI SCALE Programme aims to promote "cultural, cognitive, social, and emotional" engagements for Southeast Asian youths.
"In the 9th iteration of the program, students from the National Institute of Geological Sciences (UPD-CS NIGS), Institute of Biology (UPD-CS IB), and National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (UPD-CS NIMBB) collaborated with students from RP’s School of Applied Sciences," UPD-CS said.
The TFI SCALE Programme had two parts, where the first half took place in Singapore from Sept. 6 to 19, 2023, while the second part occurred in the Philippines from March 31 to April 8.
The exchange students visited Mt. Pinatubo, the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park (LPPWP), and the Parañaque Science High School (ParSci) to study the country’s climate, biodiversity, research, and sustainability issues.
"The participants were divided into three groups: the microplastics group which examined the presence of microplastics in Manila Bay, the coliform group which investigated human and animal waste in the bay, and the mangrove cleanup trash segregation group which surveyed various types of trash found in the protected mangrove area of LPPWP," UPD-CS said.

They also organized a Youth Community Engagement Program for Grade 7 students of ParSci.
Considering that ParSci is located near the major tributaries of Manila Bay, this initiative was particularly significant as the outreach activities aimed at raising awareness of climate change, biodiversity, and sustainability among students.
Meanwhile, program coordinator Dr. Lillian Jennifer Rodriguez pointed out the importance of teaching the youth about sustainability, building lifelong ties, and producing future leaders.
“You are our future leaders,” Rodriguez said.
MOU between UPD-CS, RP
On April 4, UPD Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan II signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with RP officials to solidify future partnerships between the two educational institutions.

As part of the MOU, the involved universities will collaborate in terms of “exchange of students, including student internship; joint lectures, research activities, symposia, and projects; exchange of academic materials, publications, and information; and exchange of academic staff.”