ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider UP Alumni Association to honor 67 pillars for service, achievement

UP Alumni Association to honor 67 pillars for service, achievement

Published Aug 12, 2026 12:16 pm

At A Glance

  • The University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) will recognize 49 individuals, two alumni chapters, three Presidential Service Award recipients, and 13 multigenerational alumni families on Aug. 15 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni in UP Diliman.
  • Araneta Group chairman and CEO Jorge L. Araneta will receive the 2026 Most Distinguished Alumnus Award for his lifelong dedication to nation-building, philanthropy, and community development.
  • The awards will also honor alumni for achievements in governance, science, public health, environmental conservation, education, entrepreneurship, and other fields, along with families whose UP ties span three to four generations.
(Photo from the University of the Philippines)
(Photo from the University of the Philippines)
The University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) will recognize individuals and groups whose work has contributed to public service, community development, and national progress at its annual awards ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 15.
A total of 67 honorees will be recognized during the 2026 UPAA Awards Ceremony at 4 p.m. at Ang Bahay ng Alumni in UP Diliman, Quezon City.
The roster includes 49 individual awardees, two outstanding alumni chapters, three Presidential Service Award recipients, and 13 families whose ties to the university span three to four generations.
“While professional excellence is worthy of recognition, what truly distinguishes our honorees is the way they have led with integrity, served with purpose, and created meaningful and lasting impact,” UPAA President and Alumni Regent Robert Lester Aranton said in a statement.
Leading the list of the awardees is Jorge L. Araneta, a 1958 graduate of the UP College of Business Administration, who will receive the 2026 UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus Award.
The Most Distinguished Alumnus Award is the highest individual honor given by UPAA to an outstanding graduate who has attained national or international prestige, demonstrating extraordinary leadership and lasting societal impact.
Araneta, CEO, chairman, and president of the Araneta Group of Companies, is being honored for his “lifelong dedication to nation-building, philanthropy, and community development.”
“By consistently championing social progress, cultural preservation, and grassroots humanitarian aid, Araneta embodies the highest ideals of excellence and civic duty, making him an exemplary reflection of this lifetime achievement honor,” the UPAA said.
Recognitions
The UPAA Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Awards will also be conferred on Dr. Lorna Ramos-Abad (BS'75; MD'80, MSEpi’01), Dr. Virgilio Bautista (BSBA’67), Dr. Rex B. Demafelis (MS'90; PhD'16), FCJ., Teresita Leonardo-de Castro (ABPolSci'68; LLB'72; JD '22), Ms. Lenore Raquel Santos Lim (BFA'67), Ms. Carmen F. Martinez-Pascual (BFA'71), Dr. Marita V. Tolentino-Reyes (AA'59; BS'61; MD'64), and Hon. Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. (BSGeo'84).
The awardees represent fields ranging from medicine and science to law, the arts, business and public service.
The UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards will likewise recognize alumni for contributions in 10 areas.
In human capital development, the award will go to Brig. Gen. Peter C. Suchianco. Nine alumni will be recognized for good governance: Associate Justice Jaime Fortunato A. Caringal, Undersecretary Felix William Buquid Fuentebella, Secretary Sharon S. Garin, Justice Karl B. Miranda, Atty. Gerardo P. Sirios, Atty. Carlos D. Sorreta, Atty. Francis Saturnino C. Juan and Atty. Raissa Herradura Jajurie.
Meanwhile, Rey Claro C. Casambre will receive the award for peace and order while Jacqueline Abing Caancan, Neil Aldrin D. Mallari, Norben T. Mata Jr., and Yari Thomas A. Miralao will be recognized for environmental conservation.
For public health promotion, UPAA will honor Romina A. Angangco-Danguilan, Jack Domingo G. Arroyo Jr., and B. Januario Antonio Dolorico Veloso Jr. The science and technology awardees are Raymundo W. Lo, Jean Anne B. Toral, Rogelio G. Laraya, Gerald Glenn Fidel Panganiban and Edward Wang.
Further, Perfecto Ray Bayo Jr., Ericson N. Dela Cruz, Alpha Faith G. Macailing, Eric Gene C. Pilapil, Mariella Sugue-Castillo, Melvin John Mondejar Tan, and Reginald Tieng Yu will be recognized for community empowerment.
In culture and arts, the award will go to Elizabeth Orteza-Siguion Reyna and Agnes M. Inventor while Marisol De Luna Anenias and Alvina Pauline D. Santiago will be honored for education. The entrepreneurship awardees are Lilian Concepcion Maligalig Castro-Selda, Elenita Trinidad De Manuel, Edilberto D. Elegado, Teresita Serquina Ladanga and Stella Marie B. Santos.
UPAA will also confer its Distinguished Service Award for Alumni Chapters on two chapters this year. Meanwhile, the Distinguished Service Award for an Alumna will be given to Rosalina S. Calderon and Lilia Ronquillo-Bautista while Rodrigo B. Libunao Jr. will receive the Distinguished Service Award for an Alumnus.
The association will also recognize Constancia E. Angeles, Nilo Thaddeus P. Rodriguez, and Luis Enano Yee Jr. as this year's UPAA Presidential Awardees.
Aside from individual accomplishments, the ceremony will also put a spotlight on families that have maintained their connection to UP across generations. The UPAA Multigenerational Alumni Family Award will recognize the Añonuevo, Caluag-Santos, Jose, Padua, Samson-Reyes, Soliven, Tomas, Yap and Yasol families as three-generation awardees.
On the other hand, the Navarrete-Flores, Puyat, Reyes and Samson-de Padua families will receive four-generation awards.
The Ofilada, Palarca, and Reyes-Lapus-Sandoval families will receive special recognition for extending their legacy of service and scholarship to the university spanning over four consecutive generations.
“These awards celebrate alumni who have shown honor, excellence, and service, and who continue to make a positive impact through their leadership, contributions to society, and achievements in their fields—both in the Philippines and abroad,” the UPAA said.

Related Tags

UP UPAA University of the Philippines alumni recognition
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.