UP gets nine-level BGC campus from SM firm

SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) on Tuesday turned over a nine-level building in Bonfacio Global City in Taguig to the University of the Philippines (UP) Professional Schools.

The building, dubbed as the Henry Sy, Sr. Hall, was formally turned over by SM Prime Holdings Inc. President Hans T. Sy to UP President Alfredo E. Pascual on March 1.

“The UP BGC will bring UP’s brand of quality education to those working and living in the southern Metro Manila areas, including those living in the nearby cities and provinces, desiring to partake in the knowledge generated by the country’s leading educators, scientists, artists, and public intellectuals," Pascual said in a statement on the university website.

UP BGC is the latest addition to the university's constituent units, which include UP Diliman, with its extension programs in Pampanga and Subic; UP Los Baños; UP Manila, with its Schools of Health Sciences in Baler, Palo and Koronadal; UP Visayas, with its campuses in Miagao, Iloilo City and Tacloban; UP Open University; UP Mindanao in Davao City; UP Baguio; and UP Cebu, with campuses in Lahug and South Road Properties.

All in all, UP now has a total of 17 campus locations spread across the country.

"The building carries no less than my father's name whose prime advocacy is education. He worked hard and sacrificed so much early in his life just to be able to receive formal education. He wants the same for every Filipino," the younger Sy said during the turn over ceremonies.

According to SMIC, the new satellite campus has a total floor area of 12,000 square meters and will house 29 classrooms, three computer laboratories, and a study area.

It will also have faculty lounges, an auditorium, a moot court for simulated court proceedings for law students, a multipurpose hall, discussion rooms, conference rooms, office spaces, and an executive lounge.

The new campus will house the UP postgraduate studies such as the Juris Doctor program of the UP College of Law and the Master and Doctor of Business Administration programs of the Cesar E. Virata School of Business starting 2017.

Other UP Diliman units which are set to conduct their postgraduate classes in UP BGC include the College of Engineering, the School of Statistics, School of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Labor and Industrial Relations, and the College of Architecture.

To recall, SM and UP inked a memorandum of agreement in 2014 for the construction of a professional schools building. -Jon Viktor Cabuenas/NB, GMA News