Ribbon cutting ceremony at the soft launch of the edifice.
August 9, 2022 — “If we say excellent, we need the good surroundings. And I’m very happy that we have this new building so that we can build the future – not necessarily for UP, but for the rest of the country,” said UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla at the soft opening of the UP College of Medicine (UPCM) Henry Sy Sr Hall held last July 15, 2022.
Chancellor Padilla believes that the edifice stands for what a community can do, the new building having been built by a community of loving alumni, students, and friends.
The state-of-the-art, new UPCM Academic Center has rooms, learning facilities, and artworks such as a massive grand sculpture, “Landas ng Paglilingkod” by Dr. William T. Chua in the building’s portico and a three-piece oil painting masterpiece, “Pasasalamat: Usbong at Yabong” by Ms. Lala Jara-Tuazon, inside the main lobby.
This 11-storey structure is nearly complete. The lower floors will be ready for students to use by September 2022.
Chancellor Padilla urged the audience to continue dreaming and being ambitious with UP at the Ramon S. Ang Auditorium, UPCM.
The sculpture, “Landas ng Pagllilingkod” in the portico
Gathering at the Plenary Hall at the 7th floor
Officials pose at the main lobby where “Pasasalamat: Usbong at Yabong”, by Ms. Lala Jara-Tuazon can be seen
Three board rooms are located in the second floor named after Eddie and Norma Chua, Tiu Eng Hua, and Dr. Adolfo B. Bellosillo of UPCM Class 1936. The Luis Co Chi Kiat Patient Safety Office and the Julita Yap Go Cardiology Room equipped with a student auscultation mannequin occupy the same floor. Also found here is the Alumni Lounge donated by the Phi Kappa Mu Fraternity and Phi Lamda Delta Sorority.
The third floor has the Ramon S. Ang Auditorium and 13 breakout rooms, and an oil painting entitled “Bandera Español” by Ms. Addie Cukingkan. The fourth floor will house the UPMASA Auditorium with 6 breakout rooms. The fifth floor has the most number of rooms, 22 in all, with the most number of art collections.
Two clinical simulation laboratories – the UPMAS wing and the Mu Sigma Phi wing are in the sixth floor. The seventh floor is occupied by the Henry Sy Sr. Plenary Hall; while the eighth floor will have the Consulting Faculty and Student Complex. The ninth floor will house the Lim Ka Thong UP Surgical Innovation and Biotechnology Laboratory under Dr. Edward Wang.
An Interprofessional Simulation Center will be placed in the tenth floor, and the Post Graduate Institute of Medicine office will be in the eleventh floor. The Henry Sy Sr. Hall is expected to be fully completed by 2023.
UP Manila has other buildings coming up in 2023: the new University Library just across the street from the UPCM’s new building, College of Public Health Stephen Zuellig Building, and the new National Institutes of Health Building.
Haziel May C. Natorilla | Published in Manila Healthscape Issue No. 42 (August 2022)