UPISNews01052007a

The 2007 TOWNS Awardees (image courtesy of Cathy Babao (http://cathychronicles.blogspot.com)

FIve UPIS Alumni in this year's TOWNS Awards
Mon Gutierrez and Tonio Ocampo (10.25.2007)

Five UPIS Alumni were cited in this year's The Outstanding Women in the Nation's Service (TOWNS) awards. They are Glecy Cruz Atienza, UPIS 1978; Eva Ma. Cutiongco-dela Paz, UPIS 1980; Maria Corazon de Ungria, UPIS Elem 1981; Dina Ocampo-Cristobal, UPIS 1982; and Alyssa Peleo-Alampay, UPIS 1981. The rest of the awardees include Alexandra Prieto Romualdez, Hilly Ann Maria Roa Quiaoit, Maria A. Ressa, Cathy Vistro Yu and Elizabeth H. Lee.

Glecy Cruz Atienza, who is currently a professor at the UP College of Arts and Letters in Diliman, was credited for turning theater into a "pedagogical force" to shape the lives of young people, making them realize their potentials.

Eva Ma. Cutiongco-dela Paz, one of only five geneticists in the Philippines, highlighted the importance of genetics, among other fields of medicine, in preventing, detecting and curing diseases that "all virtually have a genetic base."

Corazon de Ungria, who heads the UP National Science Research Institute's DNA Analysis Laboratory, developed a sexual assault investigation kit assists investigations of sexual assault.

Dina Ocampo-Cristobal, who is currently an associate professor at the UP College of Education, continues to help children with dyslexia through Worldlab (a school she helped establish), which remains the Philippines' only school specializing in learning disabilities.

ALyssa Peleo-Alampay, who is currently an associate professor at the UP National Institute of Geological Sciences, gave up her US permanent-resident status to return to the Philippines under the "Balik-Scientist" program of the Department of Science and Technology. She was acknowledged for her accomplishments in climate change research and earth history.

Last 2004, three UPIS alumni were also cited by TOWNS. They were Aura Castillo Matias, UPIS 1977 for industrial engineering; Raquel Del Rosario Fortun, UPIS 1979, for medicine (forensic pathology); and Cecilia Oreña Drilon, UPIS 1979, in the field of journalism (radio, television broadcast). In 2001, Ma. Victoria Abesamis, UP High 1972 was also cited by TOWNS for her contributions in the field of medicine (children's health).

The TOWNS Awards was founded in 1974 by the late Governor Manuel G. Alino of the Lions Club International. The awards are given every three years to Filipino women professionals who are 21 to 45 years old, at the time of selection. These women are recognized achievers in their respective fields of endeavour.

TOWNS awardees have distinguished themselves in the fields of science, education, communication, arts, law, public administration, diplomatic affairs, humanities, advocacy, public service, cultural integration, rural development, community development, medicine, research, nursing, economics, business entrepreneurship, and tourism.

For more on the 2007 TOWNS Awards and awardees, visit Cathy Babao's blog site at http://cathychronicles.blogspot.com. Cathy Babao is also a TOWNS "alumna" (batch 2004).