Know your history through SiningSaysay exhibit at Gateway Gallery

"Muslim in the Philippines"  by National Artist Abdul Mari Asia Imao

If history lessons would be this colorful and interesting and presented in murals, I would get a high grade in high school.  Nothing interests me but a painting that speaks a lot about its subject. I had a pleasure of seeing the first Philippine History paintings last February 28 at the Gateway Gallery 5L Araneta Center.  The fun of knowing and seeing what happened in your country for the last 5 decades or so made me proud to be a filipino. This is more than knowing your roots as it is educational and fun as well.

SiningSaysay presents the timeline/archipelago of the Philippines through murals.  Images and milestones were presented in artists' medium, acrylic, oil, and others,

In this age of Instagram and Twitter, quick short bites of communiqué are the norm. lt can be a statement of fact or the start of a meaningful discussion. SININGSAYSAY:
Philippine History in Art achieves both.

Mr. Gari Tiongco, Former UP Regent  and Former Pres.of UP Alumni Association

The art exhibit of 30 murals covering pre-historic Philippines to modern times should serve as a must for every student and observer of the country’s life and times.

A joint project of the University of the Philippines (UP), the UP Alumni Association (U PAA) and the Araneta Center, the exhibit is open free to the public every day at the Gateway Gallery. Students from elementary and secondary schools are set to tour the exhibit with expert guidance from teachers and historians. For the young and old experiencing history through these murals, it promises to be a pleasurable walk.

From the petroglyphs discovered in Angono, Rizal to a depiction of our Austronesian roots and Philippine tribes, and on to Spanish influence and rule, visitors will move on to important fragments of history.

The Cry of Pugad Lawin, the declaration of independence in Kawit, Cavite; the great women of history such as Gabriela Silang, young nationalist Macario Sakay, the establishment of the Commonwealth Government, the rise of the labor unions and all the way to the Filipino’s triumph over natural disasters and continuing fight for justice and democracy.

The project team called on the talents of 28 UP alumni artists to bring their visions of history to life on 6 ft. by 12 ft. canvasses. Artists consulted renowned historians Dr. Serafin Quiazon and Profi Ma. Luisa Camagay, and also researched historic materials on the Net, in old newspapers, and even old movies and vintage airplane models to help recreate details. The project took four years to complete, first envisioned by the UPAA under Atty. Gari M. Tiongco before it was finally mounted.

“The concept was to be a come-on for students to learn the history of the Philippines in just half a day by going around. And notjust going around a museum, but here it is given to you in the form of art, from alumni artists of UP. Not every country has this, but here, a tourist can come to the Philippines and learn our history by going over these artworks,” he said.

The participating artists also formed a veritable who’s who of the Philippine art world, specifically: Adonai Artificio, Armand Bacaltos, Adi Baen-Santos, Grandier Bella, Benjie Cabangis, Ben Cabrera, Angel Cacnio, Romeo Carlos, Cris Cruz, Denes Dasco, Gig De Pio, Simkin De Pio, Vincent De Pio, Neil Doloricon, Norman Dreo, Amado Hidalgo, Abdul Asia Mari Imao, Ben Infante, Gigi Javier-Alfonso, Aileen Lanuza, Romeo Mananquil, Norlie Meimban, Julius Samson, Jonahmar Salvosa, Randy Solon, Michael Velasco, Jun Yee, and Janice Young.

"Galleon Trade" by Artist Jonahmar A. Salvosa

"The West Discovers the Philippines I" by Artist Armand B. Bacaltos

“Sining Saysay is an innovative way of teaching history, promoting art appreciation, understanding Filipino identity, and imbibing cultural pride; all constituting valuable aspects of teaching and public service, which the University of the Philippines is mandated to do,” said Alfredo E. Pascual, UP President.

The Gateway Gallery is located on the 5/L of the Gateway Tower Mall. As the country’s largest private gallery, it presents a fitting venue to such an illustrious art project.

“With Siningsaysay, Araneta Center is affirmed as the arts and culture hub of Quezon City. We are housing a collection of great artistic and historic value. This is notjust an educational opportunity, but a source of national pride,” said Jorge L. Araneta, Chairman and CEO of the Araneta Group. The exhibit is open every day from 11AM to 7PM at the Gateway Gallery.

Smart inks deal to install hotspots in UP campuses nationwide

'Iskolars ng Bayan' to access online resources for free

Free connectivity fosters collaborative learning. Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and the University of the Philippines have recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement that will further advance the national university’s bid to become globally competitive. Under the agreement that was signed by UP president Alfredo E. Pascual (right) and Smart chief wireless advisor Orlando B. Vea (left), Smart will provide free wireless connectivity to the UP community to promote digital inclusion.



Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), the leader in mobile telecommunications, has formalized its commitment to provide free connectivity and access points to all the constituent universities of the University of the Philippines System across the country.

 A Memorandum of Agreement covering the provision of free wireless connectivity to the UP System was recently signed between UP led by its president Alfredo E. Pascual, and Smart led by its chief wireless advisor Orlando B. Vea at the UP Executive House in Diliman, Quezon City.

“This fosters more collaborative learning within the UP community, and allows every Isko and Iska to access online learning resources for free,” said Vea.  “For us at Smart, this is part of our vision for digital inclusion, of making the Internet more accessible so that more Filipinos get to enjoy its benefits.”

For his part, UP president Pascual said, “This is more than just a simple triumph of technology.  The hotspots will be a catalyst in unifying the seven constituent universities and one constituent college of the UP System and will signal the start of greater collaboration between UP and Smart in bringing Philippine education into the 21st century.”

Under the agreement, websites whitelisted by Smart and UP can be accessed for free over WiFi inside UP campuses. Meanwhile, sites that are not whitelisted can still be accessed for free for 30 minutes per day. Data usage beyond that period will be charged the usual rates.

Smart will be installing 120 hotspots initially in various UP campuses.  It will also put up eight new base stations to add to the six that are already inside UP.

This move is in support of the integrated computerization of the University under the eUP project, a key initiative under UP’s Strategic Plan which aims to make the country’s one and only national university more competitive in the region and in the world.

“The eUP project is envisioned to seamlessly integrate UP’s information and communications infrastructure system-wide, enhance service delivery, and achieve operational excellence,” said Pascual.

The initiative of providing Internet connectivity to the UP community complements the computerization project, which is being supported by Smart’s sister-firm, ePLDT, which won the competitive bidding for the core programs needed for the project. ePLDT will use a package of Oracle software to run the University’s information management systems. Several software modules of the system are also being developed internally by UP.

UP officials said the computerization project will provide an integrated, interconnected, harmonized, and interoperable ICT network within and across all the constituent universities of UP.

“We have to start somewhere, right now — as they say in UP — kung hindi tayo, sino; kung di ngayon, kailan?  This MOA signing is a good way to help make the eUP project a reality. We’re in this together,” said Vea, who is a UP alumnus.

Smart has committed to be a partner not just by providing wireless infrastructure, but also by reinforcing education and development programs that benefit the students and the nation. Its continuous support to students and universities is demonstrated in the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP), its partnership with the UP Open University (UPOU). Smart and UPOU are jointly offering courses on Android Mobile Applications Development, and Technopreneurship, via the massive online open course (MOOC) model.

Under its Smart Schools Program, Smart has instituted various customized programs that cater to the specific needs of learning communities from primary up to the tertiary level in a bid to help enhance Philippine education using mobile and web technologies.