Benefit Concert for Typhoon Ondoy Victims Set Sunday 

It does not take to be a flood victim to know how it feels to be one.

Silliman University and all five districts of the Rotary Club of Dumaguete City are merging efforts to support continuing rescue and relief operations for the victims of typhoon Ondoy. 

A benefit concert will be staged October 11 at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium on the Silliman campus for the thousands of Filipinos  left homeless and grieving by the typhoon that hit the country last September 26. 

Dumaguete has been spared from the onslaught of typhoon Ondoy, but both Silliman and Rotary recognize the need to extend assistance, despite the distance from the affected areas. The concert also doubles as a call to the public for a sustained collective response to the disaster, especially with continuing heavy rains threatening further devastation.

To be featured in the concert are three of Silliman's top performing groups:  Silliman University Concert Band, Silliman University Jazz Band and the Kahayag Dance Troupe. 

Ongoing final examinations at Silliman this week have not gotten in the way of the groups' preparations for the concert. The performers manage to take the exams in the day and practice at night or during their free time, with everyone committed to make their talents most relevant to the typhoon victims at these trying times. This is the Silliman Spirit at work -- an unqualified commitment to ecclesiastic excellence, and to serving others.

Tickets range from P500 to P1,000, and proceeds will go to the victims of typhoon Ondoy. 

The auditorium sits 761, and will welcome this Sunday an audience composed of private individuals and representatives of the different sectors in Dumaguete and the province of Negros Oriental. 

An initiative done in partnership with Silliman's College of Performing Arts, Student Government and local Rotaract, the concert supplements initiatives that Silliman has undertaken to pool donations for the typhoon victims. 

Last week, Silliman University has donated a total of P100,000 through the foundations of ABS-CBN and GMA 7. A portion of the donation was sourced from the university’s Christmas party budget.

Donations from the members of the Silliman and larger community of Dumaguete also continue to pour in, in response to the university’s call for public support last week. As of October 3, the university has collected close to P180,000 in cash donations from its faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends. Some 61 boxes of food items and toiletries and 90 sacks of clothing, towels, bed sheets and rice have also been received, segregated and packed for shipping. 

Depending on its evaluation of the situation in the next days, Silliman will facilitate the trip of a group of Silliman volunteers to Manila to assist in the rehabilitation operations over the semestral break.

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'Threat to Paper is Threat to Identity' - Dr. Malayang

Silliman University President Dr. Ben S. Malayang III was the keynote speaker during the celebration of National Archives Day held October 1.

"Who we are is not an account of the present. Who we are is an accumulation of the past," Dr. Malayang said, as he opened the celebration graced by librarians and teachers from different parts of Negros Oriental. 

Dr. Malayang highlighted the value of paper in human history, reflecting on the theme "Archives for Sustainable Development". He took reference to the lecture on "Paper Conservation" that took place after his talk, and said that without paper, "we would not be able to trace our roots and appreciate what we have become today." 

An expert in climate change and environmental policy, Dr. Malayang tackled the challenges that a "C" (carbon) civilization poses to the preservation of records. He said our present lifestyle generates large amounts of carbon emissions. This has resulted to a dramatic change in weather patterns, affecting the preservation of archives. 

"We need to assess how to maintain paper in light of changes in moisture and temperature... because a threat to our ability to sustain paper is a threat to our identity," Dr. Malayang stressed. 

The National Archives Day celebration, coordinated by the Robert B. and Metta J. Silliman Library, headed by University Librarian Mrs. Lorna Yso, was done in partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts Committee on Archives. Three activities were lined up for the celebration.

After the opening, a lecture on "Paper Conservation" was given by Prof. Maria Bernardita Reyes, Associate Professor on Conservation Restoration at the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School.

Professor Reyes, a practicing chemist conservator of paintings, paper objects and historic buildings, discussed the conservation principles of minimalism, reversibility, and compatible stability. These principles, she said, dictate the careful evaluation of a paper material, ensuring its protection and restoration without compromising its quality. 

Talking to a group composed mostly of librarians, she said poor storage conditions, mishandling of pages, and wrong repair techniques shorten the lifespan of books. She echoed Dr. Malayang's message, and cited how environmental factors can exacerbate the deterioration of paper quality. 

Professor Reyes mentioned three approaches to conservation: preventive, first aid and curative, and emphasized the importance of "good housekeeping". She said cleanliness and neatness must be observed at all times, and a regular check for alterations to the books has to be set in place. 

With 28 years of experience in conservation and restoration, Professor Reyes has undertaken projects in the country and abroad, including the restoration and preservation of paintings by Juan Luna, Felix Hidalgo and Fernando Amorsolo, and the original letters of Dr. Jose Rizal. 

Essay writing and public speaking competitions among college students from different schools were conducted separately on the same day. The winners were:

Essay Writing 

First - Jose Rubos Brying Bulgado (Negros Oriental State University)
Second - Mary Grace Nidoy (Silliman University) 
Third - Justine Jose Bulado (Silliman University) 

Oratorical 

First - Jasper Eric Catan (Foundation University) 
Second - Vena Mae Tindog (Asian College of Science and Technology) 
Third - Ma. Agustina Marana (Metro Dumaguete College) 

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Master in Envt'l Governance Opens 2nd Semester 

Five scholars of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit or German Technical Cooperation (GTZ)  will be among the students to comprise the pioneering batch of the Master in Environmental Governance (MEG) program. 

The program is being offered by the School of Public Affairs and Governance (SPAG), and will open this second semester, in October. 

MEG is a product of the collaboration between Silliman University, through the Jovito Salong Center for Law and Development (JSCLD), and the Philippine  Philippine Environmental Governance Project 2 (EcoGov2). 

It uses a ladderized approach to an “open and flexible curriculum”, enabling the student to choose a specialized track and level. The student is required to initially take 15 units of basic courses towards a Certificate of Training Completion. The student may continue to specialize in any one of the three tracks: Ecological Systems and Sustainable Development, Environmental Policy and Enforcement, or Environmental Planning and Execution.  Practical application of academic knowledge will take place through an Action Research Project.

The student may also progress to the next level by taking nine units in the chosen track of specialization, then 12 more units from the other two tracks. MEG is the highest level, and can be attained after a successful oral defense of the Action Research Project equivalent to six units. 

Those interested are encouraged to contact SPAG: (035) 422-6002 local 364 / e-mail spag@su.edu.ph. (Zusabel Digaum, JSCLD)

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SU Joins International Green Conference 

Dr. Christopher Ablan, who represents Silliman University on the Board of Directors of the Philippine Association of Tertiary Level Educational Institutions in Environmental Protection and Management, attended the "Conference on Green Industry in Asia" held September 9 to 11 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. 

The international conference served as a platform to share information and experiences on how industries in the region can effectively manage the transition to resource-efficient and low-carbon industry. A reduction in carbon emissions is considered essential in sustaining rapid economic growth and trade competitiveness. 

At the conference, participants composed of academicians, researchers, industrialists, and representatives of government agencies and civil society discussed policies and strategies for resource-efficient and low carbon industry. They also tackled new opportunities created by the shift to a resource-efficient and low-carbon economy, and how countries in the region can best benefit from the same opportunities. 

Silliman University is recognized in Negros Oriental as a lead institution in promoting public awareness on climate change, with two of the country's respected environmental governance and biodiversity conservation experts on its team: Silliman President Dr. Ben S. Malayang III and Silliman University Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management Director Dr. Angel Alcala. Silliman organized in 2008 a public lecture on climate change. This later influenced the creation of the Negros Oriental Advisory Council on Climate Change. 

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Marina Clinic, SUMCFI Receive Medical Donation

Silliman University Medical Center Foundation, Inc. (SUMCFI) President Mr. Roberto Montebon (first from left) and Silliman University Property Custodian Mr. Manuel Amistoso (second from right) inspects the medical equipment and supplies donated by the Medical Benevolence Foundation, Inc. (major donor) and the Silliman University General Alumni Register (SUGAR), Inc. (minor donor) through Project C.U.R.E. (Commission on Urgent Relief and Equipment), a non-government organization based in the United States, through Silliman University. The sea van that contained the donation arrived on August 14, and a formal turnover ceremony was held August 25 at the West Solarium of the SUMCFI. A portion of the shipment went to the Marina Clinic, Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital (NOPH) and the Bayawan City District Hospital. Others in the photo are: (L-R) SUMCFI's General Services Chief Engr. Ferdinand Torno, Bayawan District Hospital Chief Dr. Zosilon Zerrudo, NOPH's administrative head Mrs. Araceli Solis and Chief of Hospital Dr. Felix Sy, and Marina Clinic's Mrs. Dora Bernardez and Dr. Abelix Amor.