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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Visayas devider UP Visayas' 1st chancellor dies at 105

UP Visayas' 1st chancellor dies at 105

Published Aug 28, 2026 11:16 am
(Photo via Tara Yap)
(Photo via Tara Yap)
ILOILO CITY— Dr. Dionisia A. Rola, the first chancellor of the University of the Philippines (UP Visayas) has died at the age of 105.
The UP Visayas announced that Rola passed away on Wednesday evening, August 26.
Rola was a formidable force in the existence of UP in Iloilo when she started her career after UP Iloilo College (UPIC) was established in July 1947.
By the 1970s, Rola became the dean of the UP College Iloilo (UPCI) and envisioned the creation of an autonomous UP unit in the Visayas with its main campus in Miag-ao, a coastal town in Iloilo province.
“She lobbied for the creation of a new autonomous campus in the Visayas, requested a loan from the World Bank, and held coordination activities with concerned officials at the national and local levels for the lot acquisition,” the UP Visayas stated.
It was in 1980 when Executive Order No. 628 formally operationalized UP in the Visayas and Rola became its first chancellor.
Rola also had the distinction of becoming the first woman chancellor in the entire UP System.
Rola also established key arts and cultural programs for the university. It was through her initiatives that the Center for West Visayan Studies (CWVS) was created in June 1975.
Rola was also the brains behind what is now the UP Visayas Museum of Art and Cultural Heritage (MACH).
“Chancellor Rola helped shape UP Visayas into an institution committed to honor, excellence, service, and regional development,” stated the UP Visayas Alumni Association.

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