Yes, we’re supposed to study well, but we’re also there to improve the kind of people we are and, hopefully, Philippine society as well. It would be a poor university, indeed, that knows only how to grind out degree holders and money-earners. I imagine those alumni would have little souls to speak of, being involved only in their little dreams and not with the society in which they move.

In our university system, we have a volunteer corps which helps keep our feet, hearts, and souls anchored in the world we live in. It is the The Oblation Corps/Ugnayan ng Pahinungód.

Inaugurated in 1994, Ugnayan ng Pahinungód’s mission is “to make the University a more caring academic community that is bound together by a commitment to the empowerment of people and selfl ess service to the program.” The name was derived from the Cebuano term Pahinungód, the Filipino translation of “oblation” or offering of one’s self to a higher cause, while the word Ugnayan recognizes the linkage of the University and its volunteers to the communities.

It is more popularly known as ‘Pahinungód-this campus’ (as in Pahinungod - Manila - Los Baños, etc.), and it offers students, faculty, personnel, even alumni, many outlets for social, intellectual, and even, spiritual activism.

In UP Manila, Ugnayan ng Pahinungód-Manila has evolved into the Office of Pahinungód & Continuing Education (OPCE). It offers four program packages: Educational Assistance, Community Health, Community Social Welfare, and Advocacy Program.

Under the Educational Assistance Program (EAP), we volunteers (or pahinungóds) are deployed to give assistance to public schools. We visit underserved areas and assist in completing the people’s educational needs. The faculty pass on new teaching techniques to their counterparts in the province, the alumni assist the government in improving the quality of secondary education, and our students devote some time in teaching those pupils who are at risk of failing or those who wish to take the UPCAT.

Consider Joseph Boro, an undergraduate taking B.S. Biology. He joined EAP because he likes to teach children. He thought it would be an easy task. He was wrong. “Kids would run around while I am in the middle of explaining. Sometimes, I have to catch them up on the third fl oor before we can continue with the tutorial.” Nevertheless, he found immense satisfaction in his volunteer work and became attached to his ‘tutees’. Likewise, the children have taught him to be patient.

The Community Social Welfare includes the Summer Immersion Service Program (SISP) and Program for the Street Children. In this program, pahinungóds immerse in a depressed community for three weeks. We live, work, eat, and sleep with the community. As one young volunteer commented, “It’s like a reality TV show with no cash prizes waiting for us.” But we still do it. Why? wailed one concerned parent. Because we want to make a difference, we want to reach out. And we can only do that when we understand what the communities face.

Cherry Gonzales, a BS Social Science major in Area Studies, was one of the thirteen SISP volunteers last May. She went to Buhi, Camarines Sur and stayed with a foster family. “I volunteered in this program simply because I like to travel, meet new people, learn new things and help in any way I can. It turned out that I gained more than I hoped for. After the immersion, a lot of realizations came to me. I learned to be open-minded and observant, eliminate my biases, and empathize with people. I wondered what more I can do to help society,” Cherry related.

The Program for the Street Children, on the other hand, provides a venue for Pahinungóds to have a significant interaction with Manila’s street children. Through value-forming activities, we try to develop their sense of self-worth by showcasing their artistic abilities, hoping it will keep them off the streets. This year, the offi ce is preparing for a musical theater play in December, entitled, “Buhay Sangandaan.” The street kids themselves will star in this play. Right now, the offi ce is soliciting for any form of support for the program. We are looking for sponsors who are willing to provide food, cash, give-away items or materials for the production.

Another of OPCE’s programs is the Advocacy Program. It campaigns for and promotes voluntarism within the University. It encourages the people to volunteer in community work through its numerous publications that are released regularly. Some of the publications are the bi-monthly newsletters, the “Voluntarism in Action” series, and the Annual Report. The office also conducts room-to-room campaigns to invite students to join the program.

Finally, we come to the Community Health Proqram. This deploys volunteers to underserved communities to help alleviate existing health concerns. The volunteers also train barangay health workers and educate patients on health and proper hygiene. Through the years, the office has conducted more than a thousand health missions. It has served many areas in the Philippines with the help of both UP and non-UP health professionals from PGH and abroad.

With the continuous service of Pahinungód programs, the University reaffirms its mission that it has never been simply a formal teaching and learning institution, but “one that has a social and moral responsibility to get involved in the life of the nation through the willing service of its faculty, students, alumni and employees, as well as, the units and organizations they represent, in areas of greatest needs,” (Pahinungód System Newsletter, Jan.- March 1994).

When OPCE Director Eric Talens took over this year, he swore to continue all programs that are ongoing and revive those that have lain dormant for sometime. Likewise, we pahinungóds will continue to give public assistance.