On March 15, 2024 the UPRI is interviewed by DZUP Balita. UPRI Executive Director Dr. Mahar Lagmay was asked to elaborate on the micro-certificate courses being offered by UPRI and their partnership with UP Open University. The purpose of the micro-certificate courses is explained as being an online course that is meant to educate Filipinos across the country about Resilience over the course of 3 units. When it was first introduced, over 11,000 students enrolled in the program. It is also intended to have the courses be able to count as credit for a master’s degree. The focus on resilience is important because the Philippines is located within the Pacific Ring of Fire and is subject to earthquakes and other hazards and has been ranked as the number one country most at risk from environmental disasters. It is mentioned that disaster awareness is the first step to disaster preparedness, so their vision is a Masters Degree in Disaster Resilience for every Filipino.
DZUP inquired about the demographics of the 11,000 students enrolled in the program, which was answered with a spread of data showing that there are students from most regions of the Philippines, with the highest percentage coming from NCR. The student’s were primarily within 20-30 years of age and has a bachelor’s degree. The last question asked by DZUP was if there were still plans to offer these courses at other constituent UP universities. The response was that, since UPRI is part of the UP system, their output is always done in consideration of the constituent universities. There are also Resilience Hubs being set up in the various constituent universities, such as data analytics resilience hub in Davao.
Watch the full recorded live interview by clicking on this link.