University of the Philippines Visayas

The University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV or UP Visayas) is a public research university and the third autonomous constituent of the University of the Philippines System in the province of Iloilo, Philippines.

UP Visayas traces its origins back to the University of the Philippines Iloilo College (UPIC), which opened in 1947 as the first UP campus in Iloilo City following World War II, offering high school and early college courses. In response to the need for a specialized center for fisheries and marine science education in the Visayas, the UP Board of Regents approved the establishment of the University of the Philippines in the Visayas on 31 May 1979, consolidating several UP units with its main campus in Miagao, Iloilo. This name was later updated to University of the Philippines Visayas.

UP Visayas has two campuses—Miagao and Iloilo City — with Miagao being the main campus where the central administration offices are located.

Most of the students of the university are drawn from the Visayas and the Visayan linguistic groups. Many of the leaders of the Visayas graduated from UPV or its predecessor institutions. As of 2007, the Commission on Higher Education of the Philippines awarded four National Centers of Excellence and Development to UPV including Fisheries (UPV-Miagao), Marine Science (UPV-Miagao), and Biology (UPV-Miagao).

History

Establishment

UPV was created by merging four UP colleges: UP College of Fisheries founded in 1944; UP Cebu founded in 1918, UP Iloilo founded in 1947, and UP Tacloban founded in 1973. When the Miagao campus was established, many of the academic programs offered in the Iloilo City campus were moved there. To this day, the faculty, staff and students travel between the Iloilo City and Miagao campuses.

During the term of UP President Onofre D. Corpuz in 1975 an interdisciplinary team within the university conceived of an autonomous unit which would become an institution for fisheries and marine science education and research. The idea was fleshed out in a proposal entitled "Education Development Plan for the University of the Philippines in the Visayas", a six-volume report by the interdisciplinary team. The new university would evolve from the UP College of Iloilo and the College of Fisheries in Diliman, which would transfer to its new site in the Visayas. Funding was to come partly from a government loan, to be negotiated with the World Bank for the development of fisheries education.

On September 21, 1977, President Ferdinand E. Marcos issued Presidential Decree 1200, known as the Philippine Five-Year Development Plan (1978–1982), which provides, among others, that Region VI would be the site of the University of the Philippines in the Visayas (UPV) with emphasis on fisheries and marine sciences. A second UPV Project Development Team was then organized in December 1977 to review and update the plans. The development plan was approved by the UP Board of Regents on May 28, 1978. The fisheries educational loan was then re-negotiated with the World Bank inasmuch as its appraisal team had earlier favorably endorsed the development plan.

On May 31, 1979, the Board of Regents approved the establishment of the University of the Philippines in the Visayas as an autonomous unit of the University of the Philippines System with its 1,294-hectare (3,200-acre) main campus in Miagao, Iloilo. It would start with two colleges, the UP College Iloilo as its College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Fisheries as its flagship college.

Through the Sixth Educational Loan of the Philippine Government approved by the World Bank in January 1980, the development of the UPV flagship college was made possible.

On February 29, 1980, the groundbreaking of the UPV site in Miagao was held. On June 26, 1980, Executive Order No. 628 of President Ferdinand E. Marcos operationalized UPV, and Dr. Dionisia A. Rola was appointed the first Chancellor, becoming the first ever woman Chancellor in the history of UP.

Administration

UPV was established as the third constituent university of the University of the Philippines. The University of the Philippines is governed by the Board of Regents' 11 members, of whom five are ex officio, three are student, faculty, and staff representatives, and three are appointed by the President of the Philippines. Each campus of the University of the Philippines is headed by a chancellor.

Degree-granting units

College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (formerly the College of Fisheries)

The College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS) of the University of the Philippines Visayas gives fisheries education. The college has instituted degree programs that address the need for sustainable development of the country's fisheries resources and respond to the call for highly trained manpower in the field, at graduate and undergraduate level.

The College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences has four institutes: the Institute of Aquaculture, the Institute of Fish Processing Technology, the Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanology, and the Institute of Fisheries Policy and Development Studies. It offers programs in Undergraduate — B.S. Fisheries; Graduate — Master of Aquaculture, M.S. Fisheries with majors in Aquaculture, Fisheries Biology, and Fish Processing Technology, and M.S. in Post-harvest Fisheries; and Ph.D. in Aquaculture.

Institute of Aquaculture   The Institute of Aquaculture (IA) focuses on aquaculture research, development, and extension, providing facilities for cultivating commercially important aquatic organisms. It's a cornerstone for sustainable aquaculture, with diverse stations and hatcheries vital for both fundamental and applied research. Key facilities include the Multi-species Hatchery and Freshwater Aquaculture Station on the Miagao Campus, the 15-hectare Brackishwater Aquaculture Center (BAC) in Leganes, Iloilo, and the Batan Mariculture Station in Batan, Aklan, which supports open-water mariculture.

Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanology   The Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (IMFO) delivers academic programs, research, and extension in capture fisheries and ocean sciences, utilizing facilities for comprehensive marine studies. These include Laboratories for Marine Biology and Oceanography, equipped for studying marine organisms, ecosystems, and oceanographic parameters. The institute leverages Coastal and Marine Environments for practical training and research. Furthermore, the Data Analysis and GIS Facilities support advanced research in areas such as fish stock assessment and marine resource management.

Institute of Fish Processing Technology   The Institute of Fish Processing Technology (IFPT) leads in post-harvest fisheries through instruction, research, and public service focused on value addition and food safety. It houses essential facilities, including the Seafood Processing Plant and Laboratory, as well as microbiology and chemistry labs for quality control, and solar drying and shellfish depuration units. IFPT is known for developing innovative fishery products and promoting sustainable processing methods. Through Fishtek, it bridges academic research with industry, helping uplift local fisheries and coastal livelihoods.

UP Visayas University Student Council

The University Student Council of UP Visayas is the highest governing student body in the university.

Notable people

This list includes current and former faculty members, notable graduates, non-graduate former students, and current students of the University of the Philippines Visayas. Graduates of what are now the University of the Philippines Cebu and the University of the Philippines Tacloban prior to their elevation as autonomous universities are also considered alumni of UP Visayas.

Josette Biyo (B.S. Biology) – International award-winning science teacher; executive director of the Philippine Science High School System from 2011 to 2014; an asteroid has been named after her by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research project.

Camilo Cascolan (M.P.A. 1995) – Chief of the Philippine National Police from September to November 2020.

Arthur Defensor Sr. (A.A. 1959) – Governor of Iloilo from 1992 to 2001 and again from 2010 to 2019; member of the House of Representatives from 2001 to 2010.

Franklin Drilon (High school 1961) – Lawyer and politician. Senator from 1995 to 2007 and again from 2010 to 2022, and Senate President three times.

Pablo Fernandez (Pre-med student ca. late 1960s) – Student leader and UPROTC Corps Commander honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani; commissioned after graduation as an army reserve 2nd Lieutenant of the UP ROTC, but refusing to be assigned to Mindanao, instead founded the Federation of Ilonggo Students (FIST) and the Makabayang Samahan ng mga Propesyunal (MasangProp) to protest the abuses of the Marcos dictatorship. Captured, tortured, and bled to death by the Marcos regime in January 1973.

Francis Jardeleza (B.A. Political Science 1970) – Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 2014 to 2019; Solicitor General of the Philippines from 2012 to 2014

Raoul Manuel (B.S. Applied Mathematics 2015, summa cum laude) – Youth activist and politician; member of the House of Representatives for Kabataan since 2022; UPV's first summa cum laude.

Francisco Nemenzo Jr. (Chancellor, 1989–1992) – Political scientist, educator, and activist; President of the University of the Philippines from 1999 to 2005.

Peter Solis Nery (B.S. Biology 1990; editor of Pagbutlak) – Poet, playwright, & author; Palanca Awards Hall of Fame Awardee

Miriam Defensor Santiago (B.A. Political Science 1965, magna cum laude) – Senator from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2004 to 2016; Judge of the International Criminal Court from 2012 to 2014; Secretary of Agrarian Reform from 1989 to 1990

Myrtle Sarrosa (B.S. Accountancy undergrad, transferred to UP Diliman) – actress, cosplayer, host, and singer-songwriter; winner of Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition 4

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