MALAYA: Women in Geography

By Mylene De Guzman

The Department hosted the forum "Malaya (Tagalog:Free)", a forum on women in geography. In the forum, distinguished alumnae of the UP Diliman Department of Geography shared their experiences of being women geographers in various fields of practice. "Malaya" is part of Geography Week 2019 and is also in celebration of the 2019 Women's Month.

Geography Week organizers with forum panelists Atty. Avelino (first from right), Asst. Prof. De Guzman (second from right), Ms. Ilustre (second from left) and Dr. Gutierrez (center-front).

Asst. Prof. Mylene T. De Guzman provided a brief overview of the contributions of women in geography, and the application of feminist theories and methodologies in the discipline.

Ms. Kathy Ilustre shared her experiences, challenges and successes as Deputy Director of the Professional Services Department of Geodata Systems, Inc., while being a working mother.

Atty. Claine Avelino talked about how her training in geography contributed to her current profession as a lawyer, and as Sustainable Finance Engagement Manager in World Wide Fund (WWF) Philippines.

Dr. Darlene Occena – Gutierrez, College Secretary of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP), shared her experiences of being a woman geographer in the field of climatology and in the academe.

The UP Diliman Department of Geography ensures that women are gainfully employed in the academe, local and national government agencies, research-oriented endeavors, grassroots-based organizations and various advocacy works. Of the Department's academic staff, eight full-time faculty members and two lecturers are women.

This forum sought to encourage more women to study, practice, and teach geography that is rooted in grassroots-based social justice.

Read about the Geography Week 2019 events here:

• Bukana: Exhibit Opening
• Tugatog: Career Orientation
• Balintataw: Artist Talk of Ms. Annie Lumbao
• Malaya: Women in Geography
• Aguhon: Geog 192 Field Presentations
• Balikwas: Countermapping
• Sipat: Mapathon
• Lagom: Culmination Night

BALINTATAW: Artist Talk of Prof. Annie Lumbao

by Joseph Palis

Prof. Annie Lumbao of the UPD-College of Fine Arts presented her artistic and cartographically-inclined interventions on March 20, 2019 during the Geography Week 2019. Producing art works and installations that are geographically informed, Lumbao introduced Linescapes, Kaleidoscapes, and Waiting. 

Prof. Annie Lumbao highlights Linescapes.

In Linescapes, the urban structure is represented through a series of re-drawn power lines traversing through Metropolitan Manila. Representing both order and chaos, the linescapes are looped on video giving a mesmerizing and hypnotic feel. 

Kaleidoscapes stems from the same vein where complex power lines are made to resemble the fractal images of a kaleidoscope image.

Finally in her art installation called Waiting, which was mounted during midyear in 2018, Prof.  Lumbao combined her linescape video with contemporary dance at dusk time. The everyday and mundane aspect of waiting for transportation was interspersed with an almost magical dimension with the stylized movements of the two dancers, the effect of projected light in the waiting shed along University Avenue. 

View of the audience during the artist talk

Hosted by Christopher Deita, the artist talk drew students from the College of Fine Arts and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy.

Read about the Geography Week 2019 events here:

• Bukana: Exhibit Opening
• Tugatog: Career Orientation
• Balintataw: Artist Talk of Ms. Annie Lumbao
• Malaya: Women in Geography
• Aguhon: Geog 192 Field Presentations
• Balikwas: Countermapping
• Sipat: Mapathon
• Lagom: Culmination Night

LAGOM: Geog Week 2019 Culmination Night

by Dominique Amorsolo

Students and faculty of the Department closed Geography Week 2019 with “Lagom” a culmination night entertaining music, good food and laughter on March 22, 2019.

Students and faculty of the Department

Fun and games signaled the ending of the week-long celebration, which highlighted different applications of Geography outside the academe through talks, countermapping, field work presentations and volunteer opportunities.

Joel Licup, Geography Department Student Representative (right) and Miguel Garcia, Geography Week Director (left) receive certificates of appreciation.

Joel Licup, Geography Department Representative of the CSSP Student Council, expressed thanks to faculty and students who spearheaded preparations and execution of Geog Week 2019 events.

Read about the Geography Week 2019 events here:

• Bukana: Exhibit Opening
• Tugatog: Career Orientation
• Balintataw: Artist Talk of Ms. Annie Lumbao
• Malaya: Women in Geography
• Aguhon: Geog 192 Field Presentations
• Balikwas: Countermapping
• Sipat: Mapathon
• Lagom: Culmination Night

TUGATOG: Career Orientation

By Maria Celeste Hermida

Alumni of the Department inspired students in "Tugatog" (Tagalog: Peak), a career orientation organized during Geography Week 2019. The event demonstrated prospective careers for geographers both in the private and government sectors.

Three alumni shared their work experiences and the contribution of the discipline of geography in their careers. They are:

• Ms. Ma. Celeste Dy-Donato, Director of Professional Services of Geodata Systems Technologies;
• Mr. Ibani Padao, member of the Policy Development Group of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB); and;
• Ms. Maria Bianca Perez, Chief of the Research and Planning Division of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Quezon City (QCDRRMO).

Group photo of panelists and attendees of Tugatog.

The panelists encouraged students to pursue their interests and to explore beyond the usual career paths, highlighting how the discipline of geography presents endless possibilities.

Read about the Geography Week 2019 events here:

• Bukana: Exhibit Opening
• Tugatog: Career Orientation
• Balintataw: Artist Talk of Ms. Annie Lumbao
• Malaya: Women in Geography
• Aguhon: Geog 192 Field Presentations
• Balikwas: Countermapping
• Sipat: Mapathon
• Lagom: Culmination Night

BUKANA: Exhibit Opening for Geography Week 2019

The UP Department of Geography kicked off Geography Week 2019 with Bukana (Tagalog: Opening), an exhibit that showcased geographical practices and outputs.

Dr. Yany Lopez, chairperson of the Department, delivered the opening remarks. Prof. Darlene Gutierrez, current College Secretary and former chairperson of the Department, relived the history of the Department. Dr. Arnisson Andre Ortega, shared an explanation of this year’s Geography week theme, Malabwan: Geography and Beyond. Dr. Ortega is a former affiliate faculty member of the Department.

Dr. Yany Lopez delivering the opening remarks.

The exhibit featured map creations of Mr. David Garcia, former instructor of the Department of Geography, UP Diliman. Mr. Garcia owns Mapmaker, an online site that features various map art.

Also showcased was Kaleidoscope by Ms. Annie Lumbao, a looped video of intersecting symmetrical lines that simulate urban infrastructure and spaces. Ms. Lumbao is a faculty member of the College of Fine Arts, UP Diliman.

Map art and countermapping outputs included in the exhibit.

Countermapping projects, mostly by Geography 1 and Geography 292 students, were also included in the exhibit, particularly Diliman Story Maps, a web-based compilation of several stories about UP Diliman.

The exhibit also featured information about faculty, staff, and student organizations of the Department.

Read about the Geography Week 2019 events here:

• Bukana: Exhibit Opening
• Tugatog: Career Orientation
• Balintataw: Artist Talk of Ms. Annie Lumbao
• Malaya: Women in Geography
• Aguhon: Geog 192 Field Presentations
• Balikwas: Countermapping
• Sipat: Mapathon
• Lagom: Culmination Night

SIPAT: Mapathon

By Vanessa Joy Anacta

The Department hosted a whole-day mapathon for students during "Sipat" (Tagalog: Examine), promoting awareness towards the importance of contributing to the Openstreetmap (OSM) community.

"Sipat" was co-organized with the 2018 Rizal Team Field class and the UP Resilience Institute (UPRI).  It was held on March 22, 2019 at Palma Hall Room 104, as part of Geography Week 2019.

Participants of the full-day mapathon workshops were mainly students of Geography 1 (General Education class), Geography 131 (Geography of the Philippines), and Geography 133 (Geography of the Tropics) classes. The mapathon workshops were mainly on the basics of contributing to OSM.

Series of workshops during the whole-day "Sipat" mapathon. Top photo shows Ms. Dinnah Feye Andal and Asst. Prof. Ma. Simeona Martinez facilitating morning sessions.

Ms. Dinnah Feye Andal, a geography alumna and former senior science research specialist at UP NOAH Center, was the resource speaker of the event. In the morning sessions, Ms. Andal explained the importance of contributing data to OSM, an open and free platform for collaborative mapping with many contributors worldwide.

The usefulness of OSM is recognized by both public and private sectors, epecially in disaster risk reduction and management. During Typhoon Haiyan for example, volunteers from more than 80 countries were involved in collaborative mapping through OSM.

Ms. Andal also facilitated morning workshops through guiding students about tools and best practices in contributing to OSM.

Asst. Prof. Ma. Simeona Martinez led the afternoon workshops with the help of Rizal Team members. Rizal Team members included Jose Mari Espares, Monica May Mendoza, Kyle Vincent Singson, Beatriz Lim, and Christina Angelica Samia.

Ms. Mendoza also introduced the UPRI Youth Mappers, an organization that is actively contributing to the OSM community and conducts mapathons in universities.

Read about the Geography Week 2019 events here:

• Bukana: Exhibit Opening
• Tugatog: Career Orientation
• Balintataw: Artist Talk of Ms. Annie Lumbao
• Malaya: Women in Geography
• Aguhon: Geog 192 Field Presentations
• Balikwas: Countermapping
• Sipat: Mapathon
• Lagom: Culmination Night

AGUHON: Geography 192 Field Presentation

By Marion Micah Tinio

The breadth of the Geography Field School was demonstrated in Aguhon (Tag:Compass), where representatives of three field school classes imparted their experiences. Aguhon was held on March 21, 2019. and part of Geography Week 2019. 

 Presenters (starting second from left: Erwin Tolentino, Febbie Casabuena, Lara Landayan) with Geography Department Representative Joel Licup (first from left), Asst. Prof. Ma. Simeona Martinez (second from right)
and Asst. Prof. Emmanuel Garcia (first from right).

Asst. Prof. Emmanuel Garcia opened the activity through highlighting the objectives and accomplishments of the Geography Field School. The Geography Field School was awarded the 2016 Best Extension Program and the 2017 Gawad Pangulo Award for Excellence in Public Services.

For Rizal Field class, Ms. Lara Landayan shared the experiences and lessons learned in facilitating volunteered geographic information through OSM workshops with students and government employees. The main outputs of the field class included datasets of building footprints, digital and printed hazard maps, and a manual for the protocol.

For Tiwi Field Class, Ms. Febbie Casabuena described the methodology of updating the Ecological Profile of the Municipality of Tiwi. The Tiwi Field Class was the main project considered for the 2017 Gawad Pangulo Award for Excellence in Public Services. 

For the Paracale Field Class, Mr. Erwin Tolentino emphasized the relevance of the Geography Field School to his job opportunities. Through the child-centered participatory 3-D modeling activities of the Paracale Field Class, Tolentino has acquired related career benefits.

Read about the Geography Week 2019 events here:

• Bukana: Exhibit Opening
• Tugatog: Career Orientation
• Balintataw: Artist Talk of Ms. Annie Lumbao
• Malaya: Women in Geography
• Aguhon: Geog 192 Field Presentations
• Balikwas: Countermapping
• Sipat: Mapathon
• Lagom: Culmination Night

BALIKWAS: A Countermapping Session

by Marion Micah Tinio

Countermapping initiatives were exhibited in Balikwas (Tag:Turn,Revert). The activity was co-organized with Maptime Diliman, an open-learning group of mappers based in UP Diliman. Balikwas was held on March 21, 2019, part of Geography Week 2019.

Presenters of Balikwas with Geog Week student volunteers.

Dr. Arnisson Andre Ortega opened the activity by introducing countermapping and showing examples of global countermapping outcomes.

Asst. Prof. Ma. Simeona Martinez reinforced the importance of countermapping through uncovering the theory and practice. She also emphasized the relation between countermapping and data science. She also described countermapping as “knowledge co-production and mutual understanding.”

Dr. Yany Lopez focused on the experiences and lessons learned of her team in their countermapping of areas in the New Clark City. The New Clark City Countermapping Project is a collaboration among the University of Glasgow, the Philippine Geographical Society, and the UP Department of Geography that aims to “map experiences of marginalized communities caught in urban transition.”

Mr. Benhur Pintor, member of Maptime Diliman, detailed how technology helps countermapping through enumerating “open, offline-friendly, and sustainable” tools.

Read about the Geography Week 2019 events here:

• Bukana: Exhibit Opening
• Tugatog: Career Orientation
• Balintataw: Artist Talk of Ms. Annie Lumbao
• Malaya: Women in Geography
• Aguhon: Geog 192 Field Presentations
• Balikwas: Countermapping
• Sipat: Mapathon
• Lagom: Culmination Night

GEOGRAPHY WEEK 2019 Malabwan: Geography and Beyond

Between March 19 and 22, 2019, the UP Department of Geography celebrated Geography Week 2019. With the theme Malabwan (Cebuano: to exceed or go further), the praxis and solutions of geography as a discipline were featured.

Geography Week 2019 was made possible through partnership with the Geomajie Core Group, the Geographic Society of the University of the Philippines (GSUP), the Junior Philippine Geographical Society- UP Diliman (JPGS-UPD), and the CSSP Student Council.

 

Read the event details here:

• Bukana: Exhibit Opening
• Tugatog: Career Orientation
• Balintataw: Artist Talk of Ms. Annie Lumbao
• Malaya: Women in Geography
• Aguhon: Geog 192 Field Presentations
• Balikwas: Countermapping
• Sipat: Mapathon
• Lagom: Culmination Night