From Compliance to Culture: UP SURP’s Journey to Global Excellence
October 21, 2026
Culminating a week of collaborative learning and unit showcases, the inaugural UP Diliman QAhusayan Fair concluded on September 11, 2026 with a celebratory closing ceremony. Bringing together university administrators, heads and members of academic and administrative units, the event formally recognized the diverse contributions of offices and individuals in actively translating UP Diliman’s quality assurance framework into everyday practice.
Notable attendees included Vice Chancellor for Administration Adeline A. Pacia, CSSP Dean Ruth R. Lusterio-Rico, College of Engineering Dean Maria Antonia N. Tanchuling, and UPD QAO Director Evangeline C. Amor.
Vice Chancellor for Administration Adeline A. Pacia and UPD QAO Director joined the deans, directors, unit heads, and staff of academic and administrative offices for a group photo during the closing ceremony of the QAhusayan Fair.
During the program, certificates and citations were presented to units that participated in various QAO-led initiatives, including the conduct of External Quality Assurance (EQA) activities, the timely submission of the Post-Institutional Assessment and Development System (Post-iAADS) Report, and other activities supporting UPD QAO programs and initiatives. Moreover, all participating poster presenters also received certificates.
Special citations were conferred on seven (7) poster presentations that demonstrated distinct strengths in advancing quality within their respective contexts.
Vice Chancellor for Administration Adeline A. Pacia and UPD QAO Director presented Certificates of Recognition to representatives of poster presentations that received special citations.
Beyond the special citations, three posters received the highest overall scores from the panel of judges:
Vice Chancellor for Administration Adeline A. Pacia and UPD QAO Director presented Certificates of Recognition to representatives of the three top-scoring poster presentations.
Each of the three best poster presentations will receive a PhP 10,000.00 cash prize.
The poster presentations were evaluated throughout the four-day exhibit by a panel of judges selected by the UPD QAO based on the established criteria for the fair. The evaluation recognized the varied approaches through which participating units applied quality principles to their respective work.
In her closing message, Vice Chancellor Pacia reflected on what the QAhusayan Fair revealed about quality assurance across the University. She emphasized that “there is no single way to pursue quality,” noting that it can involve rethinking a long-standing practice, improving a service, responding to students’ needs, strengthening an academic program, improving a system, or simply recognizing that something can be done better.
For Vice Chancellor Pacia, bringing these initiatives together also created an opportunity for units to look beyond their own work and learn from one another. As she noted, “Bringing these initiatives together allows us to see that others may be asking the same questions, navigating similar challenges, or developing solutions from which we can learn.” She encouraged the community to carry these exchanges beyond the fair by bringing useful ideas back to their own units, starting conversations around practices that can be improved, and continuing to share and refine the work featured in the exhibits. She also expressed that the initiatives documented through the poster presentations can be showcased in other rewards and recognition platforms in the University to motivate and inspire other units and individuals to conceptualize innovative solutions.
The QAhusayan Fair’s exhibit continues beyond the four-day showcase at Palma Hall Lobby with a display at the University Food Service in the Student Union Building on October 5-9, 2026, bringing the featured initiatives to another part of the campus and giving more members of the UP Diliman community an opportunity to encounter the work, ideas, and practices shared during the fair. In extending the exhibit to a new space, the UPD QAO aimed to keep the conversations going and encourage further exchange beyond the fair itself.
The posters were exhibited at the University Food Service from October 5–9, 2026, giving more members of the UPD community an opportunity to explore the ideas, initiatives, and practices showcased during the fair.
As Vice Chancellor Pacia reminded the community, “The first QAhusayan Fair ends today. The work it celebrates does not.” The inaugural fair may have come to a close, but the initiatives it brought together and the conversations they sparked continue as part of UP Diliman’s ongoing pursuit of quality and continuous improvement.
To strengthen the engagement of various quality assurance stakeholders in the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD), the UPD Quality Assurance Office held a two-day QA General Assembly last March 3 and March 10, 2025 at the Bulwagang Tandang Sora, College of Social Work and Community Development, participated by 248 members of the UPD community across the 87 academic and administrative units.
To reinforce the foundational knowledge gained from the series of onsite training for the Phase 1 of the ISO 21001:2018 EOMS Certification Project, the UP Diliman Quality Assurance Office (UPD QAO) successfully conducted multiple sessions of Process Mapping and Risk Management Coaching from November 2024 to February 2025.
7 undergraduate degree programs from UP Diliman Extension Program in Pampanga, College of Fine Arts, and College of Social Work and Community Development completed two batches of external review visits last November 20-22 and November 27-29, 2024, with external quality reviewers hailing from UP Diliman and UP Los Baños. This brings the total of undergraduate degree programs that have undergone external quality assurance to 27 in 2024.
The UP Diliman Office for the Advancement of Teaching (OAT) and Quality Assurance Office (QAO) held two Outcome-Based Education (OBE) workshops in September and November 2024. The workshops focused on aligning learning outcomes and syllabus design to support academic units in revising curricula and developing Self-Assessment Reports (SAR).
To strengthen UP Diliman’s commitment to quality assurance and integrate risk management principles in facilitating the attainment of the University’s core purpose, the UP Diliman Quality Assurance Office and Macro Vision Consultancy (MVC), launched the Risk Management Training on October 14-16 at the Conference Hall, Balay Kalinaw.
The UP Diliman Quality Assurance Office held the 4th quarter QA Clinic on October 28, 2024, with 24 QA Officers. Discussions included year-end reviews, strategic planning, aligning with UP programs, rankings, and QA tools like PESTEL and SWOT to enhance implementation and improvement.