UAAP Appoints New Executive Director

Wazzup Pilipinas!

University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Chairman of the Board of Trustees Dr. Michael Alba announced the appointment of Atty. Rene Andrei Saguisag, Jr., as the Association’s new Executive Director starting 7 August 2017.

Dr. Alba, President of Far Eastern University, the host school of UAAP Season 80, considers Atty. Saguisag’s recruitment as one of the early, exciting developments in the ongoing reorganization of the country’s premier amateur athletic league. “Along with the heads of the member universities now acting as the trustees, for the first time in 80 years, the Association will have an executive director to oversee its operations,” Dr. Alba said.

Rebo, as Atty. Saguisag is more familiarly called, is not new to the UAAP, having been Commissioner of Basketball in Seasons 78 and 79. He will also be serving in the same capacity in the forthcoming season, concurrent to his new appointment.

As executive director, Atty. Saguisag is charged to perform, direct, manage, and oversee a variety of assignments. These include implementing policies; providing support to the Board of Trustees, the Board of Managing Directors, and the UAAP Committees; supervising operations; and undertaking special projects.

He has a JD degree from the Ateneo Law School and is a BS in Sports Science graduate of the University of the Philippines.

His other sports engagements include being Deputy Commissioner of Basketball in Season 93 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Commissioner of the Makabansa Basketball League 2017.

Of his appointment, Atty. Rebo says, “It’s definitely an opportunity that any sports lover will find hard to resist. I also feel that it is another place where I can be passionate and be of help if in a modest way.” Waxing philosophical, he adds, “Nobody knows how long I’ll be here, but I do want my stay to mean something. In Season 80, we Go for Great. I am more than grateful and appreciative.”

Cusi, ACD Delegates Make Solar Lamps for 100 Bohol Families

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi and other energy officials attending the ongoing Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) in Panglao, Bohol assembled 100 solar-powered lamps under the guidance of local grade-schoolers and donated them to Boholano families on Tuesday.

The lamps were given to 100 families in the islands of Balicasag, Pamilacan and mainland Panglao, including the families of 34 students from Lourdes Elementary School in Panglao as beneficiaries.

The 34 Grades V and VI students along with the 12 chosen Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) teachers around Bohol were earlier taught how to convert the kerosene lamps into solar and battery powered lamps, and shared what they learned to delegates as part of the ACD's Liter of Light: Solar Build Workshop held at the Be Grand Hotel in Panglao Island.

Cusi, as head of delegation of the host country, soldered and assembled the electronic parts of the solar lamp with guidance from Grade VI student Christopher Abellana and Grade V student Honey Lee Mijares together with Liter of Light founder Illac Diaz and TLE Teacher Gil Adame of La Hacienda High School in Alicia Bohol.

“What we are doing here among the kids is creating consciousness on the importance of energy for our economic growth,” Cusi said during the workshop.

“The Liter of Light has done several projects already and now we are collaborating with them to promote alternative energy technologies so we can share these options to other communities nationwide. There are other initiatives that are being undertaken, hindi lang itong Liter of Light, but this is the most viable na tinitingnan namin bilang option," said Cusi.

The workshop served as a great a venue for the students to learn and explore new things that they can share to their families, peers and community, according to the DOE Secretary.

He added that the workshop served to give the people and the youth “Power of Choice” in using energy efficiently and effectively.

The lamps also symbolized the giving of light or hope for the realization of dreams and for coping with outage during disasters that affect energy supply.

“With these kinds of projects, the power is already within their hands,” Cusi said.



The DOE hosted the three-day ACD, which tackled energy security, sustainability and resiliency among Asian countries.

Shaping Leaders of Tomorrow: Xavier Ateneo Teams Up with Fujitsu PH to Strengthen Connectivity Gearing Towards a Smart Digital Campus

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Digitalization is driving the education sector on to a profound transformation.

The report “The Road to Digital Learning” by Fujitsu showed that many schools, colleges, and universities have high aspirations for digital learning, in which academic establishments acknowledge the role of technology in improving the education milieu and creating equal opportunities.

In the Philippines, Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan believes that addressing the demands of digital learning is vital to enable advanced waves of educational approaches for her academic community.

Guided by its vision of becoming “A leading ASEAN University forming leaders of character by 2033,” Xavier Ateneo leverages on the benefits of information communications technology (ICT) to extend the best environment for its students.

XU has recently joined forces with Fujitsu Philippines, a global leader in providing ICT solutions, to boost the connectivity in all its five campuses across Cagayan de Oro City.

“Digitalization and connectivity have emerged as a necessity for educational institutions. It allows us to make our students globally competitive. To achieve it, we have invested a lot in building and improving our IT infrastructure across all campuses,” said Edison B. Sasoy, Xavier Ateneo Vice President for Administration.

“All our current and future ICT initiatives are centered on the university’s core processes that include teaching and learning system, research, and social development,” he added.

Advancing XU’s network infrastructure

In 2009, the university has first laid the backbone of its network infrastructure. Over the years, it has been upgraded to host more information and enterprise systems to allow for a more conducive and digitally-inclined learning environment.

Two of these systems are the Student Lifecycle Management and Information System (SLMIS) and eLearn, which manage all student-related services and business operations. These are web-based systems that manage student records, both academic and financial, in a secure, stable environment. Students in various levels — technical-vocational (Center for Integrated Technologies), college (undergraduate and graduate studies), professional (law and medicine), and continuing professional education levels are able to access their information anytime, anywhere.

The university’s Computing and Information Services Office (CISO) saw the need of further advancing the university’s IT infrastructure in terms of (1) connectivity, (2) security, and (3) high availability.

Harriet B. Fernandez, CISO Director, said that without a stable network infrastructure, all the information systems that they currently have and those that they plan to integrate will not be able to operate efficiently.

On top of that, XU also wants to blanket the whole campus with WiFi connection and bolster its IP-based telephone system.

The three components of the network system upgrade are set to significantly enhance the productivity of its faculty, staff, and students through the use of a fast and reliable network.

Reaching new heights

Fujitsu Philippines has played a key role in implementing Xavier University’s ICT network infrastructure plans.

In 2011, it has started the integration of solutions centered on Cisco and Ruckus products.

Cisco’s Catalyst 4500-X is the core that provides 10G connections across XU’s buildings and campuses. Cisco Nexus 9300, on the other hand, provides the data center infrastructure that connects its existing Unified Computing System (UCS) Server and NetApp Storage.

To ensure network security, Fujitsu translated XU’s security requirements by incorporating the Cisco ASA 5585 firewall with Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) and Advanced Malware Protection, and Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE). For added defense, Cisco IronPort Web Security Appliance was placed to protect the university from phishing sites and other online threats. This appliance also allows XU to implement policy-based web filters that enable easy implementation of the existing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) policies.

Ruckus Wireless System was also included to provide WiFi connection throughout the main campus and the annexes.

According to Fren Marlon B. Peralta, CISO - Computing and Network Services Unit Head, the upgrade has aided their team in boosting the capabilities of their network in which they are looking at an eight to 15-year lifecycle.

“Our next steps are now focused on the optimization of the converged campus network infrastructure, especially now that we are moving towards an online campus setup. All of the student services like admissions and enrollment, as well as student evaluation and assessment are now accessible online,” Peralta shared.

“Maybe, in the coming years, the university may also venture to offer online courses,” he added.

Xavier Ateneo is a private Jesuit-run university situated at the heart of Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. At present, it caters to more than 14,000 students from basic education to secondary, tertiary, graduate, and professional studies.

XU operates on five campuses: Agriculture extension called Manresa; Center for Integrated Technologies on Masterson Avenue; XU Grade School campus in Macasandig; XU High School and Grade School Annex in Pueblo de Oro; and main senior high and tertiary campus along Corrales Avenue.

“We see the value of digitalization for advancing the capabilities of educational institutions in enabling for a better learning experience for their students. It is one of our thrusts to support these visions of providing a tool that would make learning fun, convenient, and available,” said Cricket Santiago, Fujitsu Philippines Chief Executive Officer.

“For Fujitsu Philippines part, we’ll continue extending our support and services to them.”