The Official Student Publication of the Department of Chemical Engineering
University of the Philippines — Diliman
Issue No. 1
ChE Chair Ready to Face Dep’t Challenges
By Jesselyn Rochelle R. Malimata
In an interview last November 9,
Chemical Engineering Department
Chairperson Dr. Rizalinda de Leon
shared her plans of action and
recent updates on hot ChE issues
with the Reactor.
Plans of Action
The department’s main focus
is to institute a Laboratory
Management System. This would
make the laboratory more
efficient by tracking chemicals,
equipment, the building, etc. This
will also deal with health and
waste management. Dr. de Leon
also plans to integrate the training
and introduction to laboratory
safety, management, and
emergencies to undergraduate
courses. Helping achieve this goal
are: Assistant Department
Chairperson Engr. Cyril Bajamundi,
Laboratory Manager Dr. Richard
Chu , and Health, Safety, and
Environmental officer Dr.
Florencio Ballesteros Jr.
Another goal of the
department is to be recognized as
an institute. To achieve this goal,
research is being reinforced by
admitting 4th year and
rd
outstanding 3 year students to
the ChE laboratory. This way, they
can acquaint themselves with how
the laboratory works, etc.
Also recently, some
members of the faculty and ChE
students have been going abroad
to take part in Memoranda of
Agreement (MoA) and research
disseminations. Engr. Maurice
Sorolla, Engr. Cyril Bajamundi, and
June — December 2010
Dr. Maria Lourdes Dalida went to
Taipei,Taiwan last October for the
13th Asia Pacific Confederation of
Chemical Engineering Congress
(APCChE). This November 21-25,
Engr. Maurice Sorolla, Engr. Cyril
Bajamundi, Mr. Patrick Ramoso,
Dr. Rizalinda de leon, Engr. Joey
Ocon, and Dr. Maria Lourdes
Dalida will be flying to Thailand for
the Regional Symposium of
Chemical Engineering.
This semester, the ChE faculty
also opens its doors to three new
members: Hyacinth Tambago,
Jonas Karl Christopher Agutaya,
and Ralph Villa, all graduates Photo by Cyril Bajamundi
from the Chemical Engineering
Dr. Rizalinda de Leon
Department last April 2010.
(continued at page 4)
UP Diliman Tops November 2010
Chemical Engineer Licensure Exam
By Kristine-Mae Hangod
Last November 16 to 18, 2010, 380 out of 641
examinees successfully took and passed the
Chemical Engineer Board Exam given by the Board
of Chemical Engineering in Manila and Cebu. The
Board of Chemical Engineering was composed of
Engr. Ofelia V. Bulaong, chairperson; Engr.
Francisco A. Arellano and Engr. Jeffrey G. Mijares,
members.
UP Diliman graduates soar in the top ten of
the ChE board exam. The Philippine Regulatory
Commission lists thirteen people who made it to
the top 10, nine of which were from UP Diliman. The
Redecio top spot was finally regained after two years with
John Kim Redecio, a magna cum laude graduate last April 2010,
garnering a score of 86.70.
(continued at page 12)
T HE R EACTOR
1
June –December 2010
Editorial
Board
Editor-in-Chief
Xavier Fernandez
Associate Editor
Kristine Joy de Guzman
Managing Editor
Alyanna Marie Carrion
News Editor
Jesselyn Rochelle Malimata
Feature Editor
Patrick Reden Valenzuela
Layout Editor
Joy Cristine Tolentino
THE REACTOR
wants
YOU
We are about to begin accepting
applications for the Editorial Board
for next AY's Reactor. Keep posted
at reactorupd.wordpress.com for
announcements on the editor
recruitment cycle for next year.
We are also accepting contributions
for articles year-round! Just email
your contribution to the editor of
the section where you want your
article to be published.
News: Jelle Malimata
(jellemalimata@yahoo.com)
Features: Patrick Valenzuela
(flare_griffrave7@yahoo.com)
T HE R EACTOR
2
EDITORIAL
Powering the Filipino
By Xavier Fernandez
nergy is a vital component
of human civilization. It
manifests on every part of
every person’s life, and
humankind has harnessed its
power ever since prehistoric hu-
mans struck flint to create fire.
Now, we live in a world that is
powered mostly by fossil fuels.
However, over the past decades,
mankind has observed that this
fundamental resource is finite.
There is also the question of poli-
tics and market forces in the dis-
cussion about petroleum prod-
ucts, especially, since there is
oligopolistic behavior in the world
oil market, and political tension in
the Middle East has caused signifi-
cant strain in the world economy
because of its effect on oil prices.
Transformations must occur
within society in order for this
rapidly exhausted resource to be
utilized efficiently, and to search
for inexhaustible sources of en-
ergy that can supplement or even
replace the fossil fuels: the so-
called renewable energy (RE)
resources.
The Philippines has been in
the forefront of such a change for
many years. It is a worldwide
leader in the development of bio-
logically-derived energy e.g. biofu-
els. It is also the nation with the
second-largest installed capacity
for geothermal energy, after the
United States. It also has experi-
enced major developments in
wind, hydroelectric and solar
photovoltaic power over the past
decade. Plus, all this domestic
energy production shows in the
self-sufficiency statistics for the
country: the Philippines, which
has only a sparse local supply of
petroleum, has still managed to
be 58% self-sufficient for year
Editor-in-Chief: Xavier Fernandez
2008, a large bulk of the domestic
supply being contributed by geo-
thermal and biomass energy. The
total contribution of renewable
energy in the country’s energy
mix is at 43%.
However, it is imperative to
remember that the Philippines has
far more potential than what it
can currently put to use. A proper
case study would be Germany’s
transition to renewable energy.
Germany, whose economy has
relied almost entirely on coal dur-
ing its early industrialization, has
managed to progress towards
renewables at an unprecedented
rate. It is now, for example, the
largest consumer of photovoltaic
(PV) cells worldwide. It has also
heavily invested on wind power,
making them second worldwide in
installed wind power capacity, a
significant portion of it from off-
shore wind farms. One has to
wonder how Germany, which is an
awfully cloudy country with a
minuscule coastline, happened to
enter the RE scene, while sunny,
monsoon-ridden Philippines is just
starting out.
The easy answer would have
to be investments: Germany sim-
ply has more capital than the Phil-
ippines. However, capital is not
simply in terms of money. One has
to consider the human capital
required, the presence of trained,
skilled and creative professionals
who can initiate, design and main-
tain infrastructure like power
generation plants. It takes knowl-
edge of machines, processes,
reactions, economics and societal
issues to become such profession-
als to take up this niche. The ques-
tion is: who are the ones best
equipped to handle this chal-
lenge?

June –December 2010
’06 Black Dragons bags BotB 2010 trophy
By Emman Belostrino
Chemical engineering batches
fought for sports supremacy
during the first ever Battle of the
Batches last June 19 at the
Quezon City Memorial Circle.
ChE’10 Team InFRESHno, ChE ’09
Phoenix, ChE ’08 Pyroates, ChE
’07 Red Horses and ChE ’06 Black
Dragons battled one another for
the coveted championship title
during this whole-day sports
competition. Sport events
included basketball, volleyball,
badminton, chess, ultimate
Frisbee, ultimate Pinoy Henyo and
Philippine games. In the end, ’06
Black Dragons emerged as overall
champions while ’07 Red Horses
and ’08 Pyroates bagged the
UP KEM Holds Department Seminar
The first major
event of UP
KEM for the
year was
included in the
Centennial
Opening Week
of the College
of Engineering.
Entitled
“NIChE: Where
You Can Never Be Out Of Place”,
the Department Seminar was held
last June 21, 2010, 1:00PM, at the
Engineering Theater. It aimed to
enlighten the Chemical
Engineering freshmen on the
course, curriculum, and general
ChE survival techniques. It also
aimed to entertain the freshmen
and welcome them to Chemical
Engineering. The event team was
headed by Joy Erika Reyes, 4th
year.
The program started with
Engr. Cyril Bajamundi of the ChE
faculty discussing the curriculum,
which recently underwent a major
change.
NEWS
second and third places
respectively. Battle of
the Batches 2010 served
as the school year’s
opening event for
chemical engineering
students and as a way to
promote camaraderie
and sportsmanship
among the students. It
also served as
preparation and pep rally
for the Engineering Cup
2010. The event was
made possible through
the joint efforts of the ChE freshmen smile for the camera
Engineering Student
Council (ESC), the Chemical (ChESI) and the Department of
Engineering Students Initiative Chemical Engineering.

UP KEM and UP ALCHEMES
prepared their own audio visual
presentations and live
performances. Next, a group
called Brotherhood of Chemical
Engineering Bachelors, popularly
known as BroChEBach, prepared a
short video to represent the
unaffiliated students of the
department. The guest speaker,
Brylee David Tiu (DChE alumnus,
Batch 2005, magna cum
laude) also gave a short talk on
his undergraduate life, mainly on
the study habits he practiced and
the importance of joining an
organization. He also discussed
possible careers that can be
considered in the future. The ChE
Representatives also gave a short
advertisement, inviting all the
freshmen to attend the events the
Engineering Student Council
arranged for them.
The Department Seminar
was able to inform and entertain
the freshmen, making sure that
they are ready to find their very
own niche.

Editor: Jesselyn Rochelle Malimata
Photo by ChEreps CELLS
UP ALCHEMES
Holds Lab Tour
By Jules Hedwig Dayrit
Early last
semester saw the
launching of the
C h e m i c a l
Engineering
Laboratory Tour
entitled “LAB @
FIRST SIGHT”.
The event,
headed by DJ
Donn Matienzo of the University
of the Philippines Academic
League of Chemical Engineering
Students, in coordination with the
Engineering Student Council (ESC)
and the Chemical Engineering
Representatives (ChE reps), was
aimed at Chemical Engineering
(ChE) freshmen, with the goal of
showing them firsthand the
processes and equipment of a ChE
laboratory, as well as a glimpse of
the nature of the work of a
Chemical Engineer.
The freshmen moved in
groups from station to station as
guided by the organizers.
(continued at page 4)
T HE R EACTOR
3
ChE Breaks Through the 2010 Eng’g Cup
From Shredders to Jawcrushers
By Che Sese
It was indeed a very victorious
year for ChE as we participate in
this year’s Engineering Cup. As a
start, ChE became known as Jaw-
crushers in lieu of Shredders This
is only the first of many unex-
pected turnouts for ChE.
ChE’s performance in the
major games this year was a major
shock. There was of course the
women’s basketball team, which
garnered the top spot in the elimi-
nations. They were definitely a
threat to every team, eventually
finishing 3rd place.
Our women’s volleyball team
proved to be a strong team also
Photo by Imee Saladaga
rd
winning 3 place. Our men’s
teams have also improved this
yearwith the volleyball team
showing big potential as new and
old players spike it hard on the
court. The team finished fifth, and
they will definitely be in the top 4
next year.
Our men’s basketball team
has also shown improvement,
winning against the GE depart-
ment, one of the strongest bas-
ketball teams in Engineering.
Major games were always
ChE’s weakness. But this year,
teamwork, skills and sportsman-
ship showed the best out of the
Jawcrushers. Both teams played
their best, with Sir Arthur Gonza-
les III and Sir David Gonzales in
football.
The ChE department has
always excelled in the minor
games, and once again this year.
For badminton, we won 4th place
overall, with our women’s doubles
T HE R EACTOR
4
and mixed doubles team both
reaching the semi-finals. We won
2nd place in Chess, courtesy of
Jonathan Lumacad and his team.
We excelled in table tennis as
well, with Fritzie Azur winning 1st
place in the women’s singles divi-
sion, and winning 4th place overall.
Representing the Jawcrushers in
Sports Climbing is a team com-
posed of four players, with Ellen
Munar playing for two people, as
two girls are initially required.
Despite this, the team managed to
finish fifth. The ChE Jawcrushers
finished 4th overall in swimming,
as both the individual and group
finished fourth. The Jawcrushers
have also shown that we can play
tennis, finishing 4th overall. Lastly ,
for the Philippine games, we
placed 6th in sangkayaw, but made
a comeback on the succeeding
games, including tumbang preso
and mataya-taya.
But we couldn’t have gotten
through it all if it weren’t for the
department’s runners who partici-
pated in Eng’gfinity: the Engineer-
ing Centennial Run, and the volun-
teers serving as marshals for the
event. We had a total of 12 run-
ners, and 10 marshals.
All the effort, skills, team-
work, dedication and sportsman-
ship are what got the ChE Jaw-
crushers to an amazing 4th place
finish, all the way from 8th place
last year.
Photo by Che Sese
Congratulations to ChE Jaw-
crushers! Until we meet again at
the next Engineering Cup.

ChE Chair Ready…
(from page 1)
The previous semester also saw
the arrival of two additional fac-
ulty members: Patrick Ramoso
and David Thomas Gonzales.
The Curriculum Revision
Feedback from students
have already been gathered and
the new curriculum is being evalu-
ated very carefully by the Depart-
ment Curriculum Committee .
The ChE Building Plans
Funds are already in hand for
the new Chemical Engineering
building located in the National
Engineering Complex, to be lo-
cated along C. P. Garcia St . Bid-
ding will hopefully happen in De-
cember. Optimistically, construc-
tion will begin between January
and February of 2011 and will be
completed by December of the
following year. The more challeng-
ing part for the department is the
relocation of the laboratory equip-
ment and materials.
Dr. de Leon said that basi-
cally, her plan is to continue
where Dr. Analiza Rollon (the
previous department Chairper-
son) left off, and that “We just
want to do what needs to be
done.” She added that she appre-
ciates the faculty, “masipag and
supportive [sila].”

UP ALCHEMES Holds…
(from page 3)
Members of the ChE faculty and
the ESC were also present, both
to observe and supervise the
event. The event, which started at
5 pm, ended promptly an hour
later at 6 in the evening. After-
wards, willing freshmen were
given a bonus tour of the campus
care of UP ALCHEMES.

ESC and ChESI Exceeds Limitations With
Beyond CliChÉ: UP Diliman ChESS 2010
By Kristine-Mae Hangod
(L-R) Dr. Rizalinda de Leon, Engr. Bryan Alamani, Engr. Benjamin Santos, Engr. Marianito Margarito, and Roderick Salenga
Last September, the third run of
the Chemical Engineering Seminar
Series (ChESS) was held success-
fully with the theme “Beyond
CliChE: UP Diliman Chemical Engi-
neering Seminar Series 2010”. The
event consists of a four-part semi-
nar series that aims to drive ChE
students to become more confi-
dent in pursuing their course in
the university and practice chemi-
cal engineering in the future. It
showcased the versatility of the
chemical engineering field by
featuring notable speakers from
different ChE fields. ChESS 2010
was a product of the joint effort
of the ChE Representatives and
the ChE Students’ Initiative
(ChESI), with Annabellee Chua and
Jasper Powell Esguerra as the
Overall Co-Heads.
The first seminar, held on
September 8, was entitled
“BenChEmark: We Set the Stan-
dard” and featured Engr. Halley
Edmund Tugade from Unilever
Philippines as he discussed the
potential career and profitability
of ChE. On September 16, the
possible tracks of chemical engi-
neering were presented in
“Finding Your NiChE”. The semi-
nar focused on energy and
nanotechnology, which were
discussed by Dr. Rizalinda de Leon
and Engr. Bryan Alamani respec-
tively, both from the UP Diliman
ChE Department. The third install-
ment of the ChESS, “ChE VLE:
Virtual Lab Experience”, was held
on September 23 and talked about
the operation of the largest recy-
cling facility used oil in the Philip-
pines, Bensan Industries Inc.
graced by Engr. Benjamin Santos
as the speaker. On September 28,
the last installment for the semi-
nar series entitled “ChEnen! ChE
Out of the Box” served as the
perfect finale as it revolutionized
the common insights on ChE by
highlighting ChE applications in
unconventional fields such as
waste management, pharmacy,
biotechnology, fashion, oceanog-
raphy, and race car driving. Waste
management was discussed by
Engr. Marianito Tiangson Marga-
rito, pharmacy by Roderick Layug
Salenga, and the rest of the ChE
applications by the ChE Represen-
tatives. Erika Reyes, Diana Joy
Gernan, Krisha Kerr, and Patrick
Valenzuela who are all members
of the ChESI headed each of the
Photos by ChEreps CELLS
seminars respectively.
The Marketing Committee,
co-headed by Alexander Luciano
and Van Galman, secured Milleum
Travel Corporation as the sponsor
for ChESS 2010. Publicity of the
event in various media such as
facebook, room-to-rooms, and
posters was supervised by the
Publicity Co-Heads, Emalyn Llagas
and Xavier Fernandez. The Pro-
grams Committee was headed by
Shiela Marie Sese while the exhibit
preparations were headed by
Darlene Lorraine Que. All con-
cerns on the food and logistics
were overseen by the Logistics
Co-Heads Jaslene Lustro and Ches-
ter Paulo Luna.
ChESS 2010 was attended by
more than 100 students per semi-
nar. All the seminars were held at
the Engineering Theater where all
the attendees were given free
food. Prizes such as a cellular
phone, movie passes, and CoE
ballers were given to lucky stu-
dents who attended the seminars.
ChE students found the seminar
very helpful as they became more
acquainted and appreciative of
their course.

T HE R EACTOR
5
KEM:The Magic School Bus and NaChEs
By Riuji Sato and Niñez Hernandez; Edited by Kristine Joy de Guzman
The Magic School Bus
This year, UP KEM held two new
events: the Magic School Bus and
the National Chemical Engineering
Congress 2010.
Last July 6, 2010, UP KEM won
the Colgate Fresh U Say Something
Fresh idea-generation competition
and obtained a P50,000 cash prize
which was to be used on the win-
ning idea, the Magic School Bus.
The event itself was held on
September 4, 2010 and involved 40
kids who were chosen by the grade
level coordinators of the Balara
Elementary School. They were
accompanied by 18 KEMers and the
organization’s Executive Council.
The event’s itinerary com-
prised of three differ-
ent venues: Goldwin
Manufacturing Labo-
ratories Corporation
located in Marikina,
St. Luke’s Medical
Center located in
Global City, Taguig
and the Makati Cen-
tral Fire Center. The
difference in speciali-
zation of each venue
aimed to give the
children a brief out-
look of the possible
career paths that they might want
to take in the future.
NaChES
The National Chemical Engineering ence, Chemical Engineering, Chem-
Congress 2010 (NCEC 2010) is a istry, Physics and Mathematics for
new event of the organization held each round.
last August 28, 2010 at the UP NIS-
MED Auditorium.
T HE R EACTOR
6
The event included two parts:
the introduction of the National
Chemical Engineering Symposium
(NaChES) and the 34th year of In-
ter-U, the annual Inter-University
Chemical Engineering Quiz Show.
NaChES, with the theme, “E-
nnovate! Environmental and En-
ergy Extreme Engineering” invited
four guest speakers who effec-
tively inspired the at least 200 at-
tendees of the event. The first talk
entitled “Using a Com-
bined Sewer Network to
Protect Manila’s 3-River
System” was by Engr.
Robert Baffrey, Depart-
ment Manager for
Wastewater Operations
of Manila Water. It was
followed by the UP
Diliman ChE Dept. Fac-
ulty resident, Dr.
Wilfredo I. Jose’s Crea-
tivity and Innovation in
Engineering. The third
talk was “Renewable
Energy Development in the Philip-
pines” by Engr. Roger Victor Buen-
dia, OIC and President of PNOC
Renewables Co. The last talk by Dr.
Arnold Elepano, Director of UP Los
Banos’ Institute of Agriculture
Engineering was about “Waste-to-
Energy Systems”.
After the symposium, Inter-U
commenced, which comprised of
three rounds with 15 questions
from the fields of Engineering Sci-
This year, the University of
the Philippines – Los Baños re-
claimed the 1st place for Inter-U
2010. They were followed by De La
Salle Manila and St. Louis Univer-
sity (Benguet), 2nd and 3rd place
respectively. The event was made
possible by the KEM Ultimate
Event Team under the leadership
of Duane Lemuel Galang for
NaChES and Jean Paula Parami for
Inter-U.

UP Chemical Engineering
Society, Inc.
Executive Council
President
Hannah Fatima Ebro
Executive Secretary
Jose Fernando Perez
Vice President for Membership
Ma. Kathrina Herrera
Vice President for Finance
Joanna Mirzi Faronilo
Vice President for Public Relations
Shanelle Lopez
Vice President for Ways & Means
Jaymie Llanera
Vice President for Education:
Kanlouise Nielsen Tejada
Vice President for Socio-Cultural
Affairs
Joe Mari Sanchez
Vice President for Sports
Recreation
Marc Lester Chicano
ALCHEMES Lends a Hand
By Kim Guerrero
Participants display their certificates at the EDIFY culminating day
A helping hand is a lending hand.
Aimed in reaching out for the
academic needs of the commu-
nity, the University of the Philip-
pines Academic League of Chemi-
cal Engineering Students (UP
ALCHEMES) spearheaded its edu-
cational service programs.
Two projects were con-
ducted by the organization: the
College Entrance Examination
Review Series (CEERS) held on
July 3-30 and EDIFY held on Sept
18 – Oct 9.
CEERS
CEERS is a short review course for
fourth year students, to prepare
them for various college entrance
examinations. The reviews were
conducted in Sumulong National
High School (SNHS) in Antipolo
City, starting July 3; and in St.
Mary’s Academy of Sto. Niño
(SMA) in Sto. Niño, Bulacan, be-
ginning July 5.
Attendance in this service
program is optional. A minimal fee
is collected from the participants
for producing reviewers and sam-
ple exams and for funding other
expenses during the preparation
and execution of the review.
Headed by Jodel Cuasay, the
review series was held on Satur-
days with the first day for the
distribution of the learning kits to
Photo by Chester Luna
students and for conducting the
simulation exams. The rest of the
Saturdays were spent in discuss-
ing the answers in the exams as
well as in reviewing concepts in
Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics,
Biology, Earth Science, English,
Filipino and Abstract Reasoning.
In addition, more examples and
answering tips were provided to
students.
Furthermore, feedbacks
from the participants were posi-
tive as they learned a lot from the
review. According to them, some
topics discussed during the review
were not discussed during their
regular school classes, giving
them an edge over other CEERS
non-participants.
EDIFY
EDIFY is an outreach activity of
the organization through its
External Affairs and Academic
Affairs committees, aimed to pro-
mote basic education with its
remedial classes for grade three
students.
With a tutor-student ratio of
2:25, the program was held for
four consecutive Saturdays, each
day allotted to a subject; with
English, Science and Math, taught
respectively. Awarding ceremony
was reserved for the last day as
well as the quiz bee to gauge the
UP Academic League of
Chemical Engineering
Students
Executive Committee
President
Camille Rivero
Executive Officer, Academic Affairs
Kristine - Mae Hangod
Executive Officer, External Affairs
Jan Michael Co
Executive Officer, Finance
Maria Crisselle Tumaru
Executive Officer, Internal Affairs
Jehan Kay Otani
Executive Officer, Logistics, Sports
and Recreation
Lian Cecilia Ortiz
Executive Officer, Secretariat
Hazel Ann Fajardo
pupils’ understanding on the
three subjects.
Under the supervision of
Janine Cambangay and Jestin
Bernardo, senior heads, together
with the junior heads Myron Al-
canzare and Rico Deonaldo, the
activity was held for a half day
from 2 to 5 pm.
Moreover, the lessons dis-
cussed were in line with those
given by the teachers to the pu-
pils. In order to assess the pupils’
learning, quizzes were given prior
to and after the lessons were
discussed. Participants were also
provided with pads of paper, pen-
cils and food to increase their
motivation.

T HE R EACTOR
7
ESC Celebrates 100 Years of CoE
By Anna Chua
The Engineering Student Council
(ESC) celebrated the college cen-
tenary with four of its key events
for the first semester.
ESC kicked off the year with
the Centennial Opening Week last
June 21 to 25. Entitled Fierce 100,
COWeek highlighted the college’s
100th foundation day through a
week of fun and meaningful activi-
ties. A welcome parade, Grand
Pakain and department and insti-
tute seminars completed the first
day of the weeklong event. An
inter-organization talent show,
entitled Time Fierce, celebrated
the versatility of engineering stu-
dents, where UP KEM and UP ERG
emerged as the champion and
runner-up with their spellbinding
performances. Other highlights of
the week include the fun-filled fair
and highly challenging amazing
race, as well as the handprint
mosaic of the Philippine flag. CO-
Week concluded with Fierce De-
gree Burn, a university-wide party
and fashion show featuring fresh-
men models held at Silver City,
Pasig. UP IE Club and UP AL-
CHEMES won the first and second
place, respectively, for best block-
Library Renovated
During a simple ceremony led by
former Dean Rowena Cristina L.
Guevara and the College Execu-
tive Board, a wall marker was
unveiled on July 19, 2010 to recog-
nize the contribution of alumna
and President of Teresa Marble
Corporation, Ms. Annie G. Dee (IE
’77), in the improvement of the
College of Engineering Library I
ground floor. Her donation of
light-hued marble tiles was the
culminating step in the long proc-
ess of converting the ground floor
into an information center.
For many years, the ground
floor had an atmosphere that was
not conducive to learning due to
its architectural flaws such as the
overabundance of columns and
poor lighting. This level housed
tables in dark brown and similarly-
colored shelves that crowded
around the study area that stood
T HE R EACTOR
8
handlers.
To hone the physical abilities
of engineering majors and to unite
the individual departments and
institutes, Engineering Cup 2010:
One Cup One Glory was held last
July to August. Six departments
and eight institutes pitted their
best against one another in vari-
ous ball games, chess, badminton,
sports climbing and more. Also
making waves was the Centennial
Run, which had over 400 partici-
pants and was held in the Diliman
campus last July 18. The IEEE
topped Engineering Cup, while
our department improved to 4th
place from last year’s 8th.
Engineering Summit 2010
came early this year on July 31.
This year’s summit featured nota-
ble speakers from various sectors
such as Johnip Cua, Dr. Giovanni
Tapang, Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan and
more. A marked difference in this
year’s summit is that engineering
hopefuls not just from UP Diliman
but from all over Luzon came to
listen and to generate ideas to-
wards nation building.
Capping off an eventful se-
mester, the Engineering Market-
By Katherine Chelsea C. Hwang
on dark red flooring.
The sudden allocation of a
three-year plan P21M-budget by
the Office of Engineering Re-
search and Development for Tech-
nology (ERDT) for library develop-
ment gave the College an oppor-
tunity to replace the old furnish-
ings with new ones that are akin
to those in the College of Engi-
neering Library II. Energy-efficient
Photo by CoE Lib staff
incandescent lamps have been
installed, which along with the
light-colored walls, floor, and
ing Congress was held last August
to October 2010. This year’s mar-
keting congress revolves around
the students marketing their own
theses. Five seminars on various
topics related to marketing, busi-
ness, technical writing, emerging
technologies and more were
given, and amazing prizes were
given to attendees. Of the five
finalist teams, three came from
the department of Industrial Engi-
neering, while two came from our
very own Chemical Engineering
department. The top three teams
won cash and sponsor prizes
worth Php 30,000, 20,000 and
10,000.
ESC has also spearheaded
other small projects, such as
Boboto ang Eng’g, the Book Buy-
ing Quest, the Scholarship Expo
and more. For more details, you
may visit enggisko.net or like their
Facebook page.
This December, ESC brings
you Aveng’gers: The Century’s
Mightiest Heroes – the 2010 Engi-
neering Week. Drop by the Engg
Isko website for more details.

ceiling help to give the ground
floor a feeling of spaciousness.
Aside from the newly fin-
ished reading area, a discussion
room where students can interact
and an Internet and Computing
Facility with 10 new terminals
have been provided. The theses
and serials section of the library is
also now located at the ground
floor. Local databases have been
provided to help students and
other patrons easily sort through
the library’s available theses and
serials.
Now that the ground floor
can boast of excellent facilities,
the Engineering Library I has
switched it attention to the upper
floor. Steps are presently being
taken for the library to reach its
full potential as an information
gateway.

June –December 2010
The New ChE Curriculum
Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
“Universal Engineer”: A title
that’s been earned by chemical
engineers around the world for
their excellence not only in their
chosen fields but also because of
their innovation and skills in man-
agement, finance and humanities;
Thus, making them one of the
most sought after engineers in
the industry to date. In order to
gear the students for this future
responsibility, the University of
the Philippines’ Chemical Engi-
neering Department has revised
the Chemical Engineering curricu-
lum. The revised curriculum was
implemented last school year
2009-2010 affecting all under-
graduate students from batches
2005 to 2008. The new curriculum
gears towards training the stu-
dents all about the fundamentals
of chemical engineering as early
as possible and applying all that
they’ve learned for their research
and thesis proposals in their final
year. A lot of changes were done
in curriculum. These include the
introduction of new courses like
ChE 101 – the equivalent of ChE 31
and ChE 32, ChE 143 and ChE 144 –
the equivalents of ChE 136, Chem
FEATURES
By Ian Rivera
Maganda siya in a way
na maaga naeexpose ung
students sa ChE talaga.
Bwiset, mahirap,
matrabaho. Pamatay yung
ginawa nila samin last sem.
154 – the replacement to Chem
153 after modification of ChE 122
and 123 syllabi, ChE 26 – the
equivalent of ES 26, ChE 106 – the
equivalent of ES 21, and ChE 150 –
a new course covering environ-
mental process engineering.
For more than one year of its
application, several opinions have
already been heard on how effec-
tive the curriculum was. Many
people have good insights about
the curriculum. Some say that the
curriculum is good because as
early as 2nd year; the students are
already exposed in the field of
chemical engineering.
“Maganda siya in a way na
maaga naeexpose ung students sa
ChE talaga.” – Anonymous
Some however have differ-
ent thoughts about it. Many stu-
dents claim that the curriculum is
so “toxic” that their efforts aren’t
worth it at times. They thought
the curriculum is so experimental
that the upper year students are
having a hard time to cope up.
“MAHIRAP” seems to be the first
word that comes out of their
mouths when asked about the
curriculum.
Editor: Patrick Reden Valenzuela
“Bwiset, mahirap, matrabaho.
Pamatay yung ginawa nila samin
last sem.” – Anonymous
But other students chose to
look onto a bigger perspective
and thought that the revised cur-
riculum is not the one that needs
improvement. Some say that
other aspects such as the organi-
zation, equipment and faculty
performance are the ones that
need improvement in order to
achieve the desired output/goal of
the curriculum. Some also said
although the curriculum is doable
and good, the department needs
to focus more on the improve-
ment of the faculty members
because the students are the ones
suffering and they are not always
the one to be blamed especially
when they fail a subject.
“There's always room for
improvement pero I guess it's in
the faculty teaching the subjects
more than the curriculum. Yes,
definitely the curriculum is ok if
taught well.” –Anonymous
This second semester, the
new ChE curriculum will still be
followed and no plans for another
revision is taken note.

T HE R EACTOR
9
 DChE’s Newest Faces!
Patrick dela Paz Ramoso
Birthday: 17 March 1988
Favorite Color: Green
Why did you choose to teach in
UP?
Good question! It's actually a
pretty long story. Nagsimula kasi
iyan sa last meeting namin sa ChE
142/144 under Sir Al (de Leon,
instructor on study leave -ed.) and
Ma'am de Leon. Sir Al jokingly
mentioned something like:
"Paano kaya kung nagturo
ng ChE 142 si Patrick? Ano kaya
ang mangyayari?"
Natawa naman ako, tsaka
ako napaisip. Ang plano ko kasi
talaga bago noong araw na iyon
ay aantayin ko matapos ang board
exam, tsaka ako maghahanap ng
trabaho sa industry. May mga
companies na ako in mind. Ngunit
pagkatapos sabihin ni Sir Al yun,
hindi iyon nawala sa isip ko, hang-
gang sa nagturo na rin ako ng ChE
dito.
What is your greatest dream...
...for yourself?
T HE R EACTOR
1 0
A Closer Look
By Joy Marie Jalotjot
Photos by Kenneth Robert de Guzman
I want to do something that Message to the undergrads:
is revolutionary. Sana magtagum- Sana patuloy niyong i-
pay ang research plan ko na maka- appreciate ang chemical engineer-
pagdevelop ng fuel cell. Iyong ing. At sana ang appreciation niyo
tipong hindi na tayo aasa sa fossil ay lagpas pa sa pagkuha ng
fuels. mataas na grades.
Sa mga estudyanteng
...for your country? umaasang dadalian ko ang mga
Kasama na rin siguro dito exams ko, asa pa kayo! (laughs)
yung fuel cells. I think the country Seriously, sorry, ngunit ganoon
needs to become independent talaga. Pasensya na lang sa hirap
from foreign oil. ng mga exams ko. Bilang kailan-
gang isukat ang kaalaman at ap-
...for your loved ones? preciation ng students tungkol sa
Sana dumating din ang pana- subject, kailangan talaga na ma-
hon na kaya ko silang i-tour challenge sila.

around the world. Dapat mapun-
tahan namin lahat ng mga conti-
nents. Basta makapagprovide ako Hyacinth Mae Garrido
ng ganoong experience sa mga Tambago
mahal ko sa buhay.
...for the University?
The University should no
longer have to experience budget
cuts. At the very least, UP should
have adequate funding every year.
Dapat binabantayan at sinusupor-
tahan ng gobyerno ang UP.
...for the department?
Although we are actively
working on this as we speak, I
wish that the department be
given Institute status soon. Also,
sana makapagbigay ang depart-
ment ng mga researches na
magtataglay ng positive change sa
bansa.
Kung ikaw ay isang product, ano
ka at paano mo ibebenta ang
Birthday: 22 Aug 1988
sarili mo? Favorite Color: Grey, Brown, Blue
Ice cream siguro ako. Ma-
sarap e. Ice cream uplifts you. If
Why did you choose to teach in
you want to feel good, you eat ice UP?
cream. Kapag depressed ka, at
I wanted to enter graduate
kailangan mo ng kaunting sigla sa school after the board exams. My
katawan, pwes, mag-ice cream ka! options for financing it were ei-
ther ERDT or taking up a teaching
load. Pero bawal kasi kumuha ng
trabaho habang nasa ilalim ng
ERDT scholarship. At saka kapag
nagturo naman ako ay may work
experience din ako kasabay ng
graduate school. Apart from that,
dahil na rin sa naghahanap ako ng
sense of fulfillment after graduat-
ing in ChE.
What is your greatest dream...
...for yourself?
For the short term, perhaps
more preparation for teaching.
For the long term, a stable and
happy life.
...for your country?
Mawala ang korupsyon sa
bansa. Marami kasing mga dulot
ito na kitang-kita. Makikita, halim-
bawa, sa statistics na mataas ang
dropping-out rate ng mga bansa
na laganap ang korupsyon.
...for your loved ones?
I want to pamper, no, spoil,
my younger siblings. Kahit pa-
paano naman, kuntento na sila sa
buhay e. Let's give them some-
thing more.
...for the University?
Sana wala nang mga tuition
fee increases in the near future.
Kung magkakaroon man, sana
gradual ang increase, yung kaya
pa sa bulsa.
...for the department?
Of course, the new building!
Pero kasama na doon ang bagong
equipment. We have to become at
par with private universities like
DLSU.
Kung ikaw ay isang product, ano
ka at paano mo ibebenta ang
sarili mo?
Isa akong fuel cell, o basta
isang fuel product na hindi nagpo-
produce ng pollution. Ibibida ko
ang sustainable development as
selling point. Kailangan din ng
pagdidiin sa comparative advan-
tage nito sa fossil fuels.
Message to the undergrads:
Always exert your best.
Don't just rely on your teacher or
your readings in order to learn.
You have to take the initiative in
your own learning. It's for your
own sake naman. Also, it's not
enough to study just so you could
pass. Have an appreciation of the ...for the University?
subject matter beyond the exam. I hope that the University will
 become more academically re-
spected internationally. Sana rin
mas maging accepted din ang UP
David Thomas Tanco as an active player in international
Gonzales affairs, like some foreign universi-
ties.
...for the department?
Sana matapos na yung
bagong building!
Kung ikaw ay isang product, ano
ka at paano mo ibebenta ang
sarili mo?
I think I will be paper. How
will I sell myself? Simple lang na-
man. I will have lots of colors!
Message to the undergrads:
To the students, just relax
and take it easy once in a while!
Don't study too hard. 
Jonas Karl Christopher
Nuevas Agutaya
Birthday: 1 August 1987
Favorite Color: Green
Why did you choose to teach in
UP?
I was looking for things to do
before I start my MS (which, by
the way, is not in ChE but in Ma-
rine Science). I'm actually still
unsure if I want to stay in the de-
partment as a teacher for long,
but so far, things are great, and I
might stay here for the time be-
ing.
What is your greatest dream...
...for yourself?
I want to contribute to the
conservation of marine life. I
want to play an active role in this.
Birthday: 28 April 1989
...for your country? Favorite Color: Green
As I said earlier, the conser-
vation of marine life, especially
Why did you choose to teach in
here in the Philippines. Isa siya sa UP?
mga major resources natin, kaya Actually, I've been planning
sayang naman kapag hindi natin to teach since my third year in
aalagaan.
college. I chose this career path
for me. I can't really imagine my-
...for your loved ones? self working in the field anyway,
Every single one of them
so I saw the academe as the best
should have a beachside house, fit.
para relaxed ang atmosphere at
malapit sa dagat.
T HE R EACTOR
1 1
What is your greatest dream...
...for yourself?
Maging Dean ng College.
(laughs) O sige, pwede ring angel
or wizard. Pero okay na rin mag-
ing Dean Jonas.
...for your country?
Alam mo, ayaw kong na-
kakakita ako ng mga beggars.
Pangarap ko na everybody's
happy. Everyone should have
everything they need to survive:
food, water, clothing, proper shel-
ter...
...for your loved ones?
My parents shall travel
abroad. Kailangan ako ang gagas-
tos. (laughs)
...for the University?
UP's students should be able
to live up to the prestige that UP's
name holds. We should be able to
stand up and be proud na taga-UP
tayo. Pwede na rin ang Agutaya
Street.
...for the department?
100 percent passing every
single year! At saka makapagpro-
duce din ang department ng mga
top executives and officials in
both the public and private sec-
tors.
Kung ikaw ay isang product, ano
ka at paano mo ibebenta ang
sarili mo?
White handkerchief. Mahilig
naman ako sa puti, at saka kasi
pag puti, malinis ang dating.
Madali lang naman ibenta ang
puting panyo. Alam mo naman
dito sa Pilipinas, mainit at madal-
ing pawisan ang mga tao, kaya
nakakainis talaga kapag walang
hawak na panyo araw-araw.
Message to the undergrads:
Hoy, kailangan na natin bu-
hayin muli ang Only Child Society!
(laughs)
Anyways, paalala ko lang ito:
Life is simple. We're the only ones
who make it so complicated any-
way. Think about it. When we
were kids, we used to think the
alphabet is just so complex. Now,
we sometimes laugh at its simplic-
ity. We should just not sweat the
little things in life. ♣
T HE R EACTOR
1 2
Ralph Patacsil Villa
Birthday: 15 Feb 1988
Favorite Color: Navy Blue
Why did you choose to teach in
UP?
I actually still don't know. I
guess I just want to impart knowl-
edge to the students. Pero gusto
ko rin kasi pumasok sa graduate
school dito sa UP.
What is your greatest dream...
...for yourself?
I wanna be a billionaire,
parang si Tony Stark (a.k.a. Iron
Man) lang.
...for your country?
Sana maging First World
country tayo. Tipong developed
nation na tayo, na hindi lang sa
agrikultura umaasa. Higit pa doon,
sana mawala na mga informal
settlers sa Pilipinas.
...for your loved ones?
Pwede immortality? (laughs)
Sige. Sa totoo lang, ang wish ko
para sa kanila ay good health and
good life.
...for the University?
Rollback ng tuition!
...for the department?
Sana maging successful na
ang bidding process para sa pag-
gawa ng bagong gusali ng ChE.
Kung isa kang product, ano ka at
paano mo ibebenta ang sarili mo?
Deodorant, kasi dito sa Pilipi-
nas, big deal ang body odor sa
atin. Kukunin ko si Angel Locsin
bilang endorser.
Message to the undergrads:
Always try to do your best,
no matter what. Kahit ilang fail-
ures ang pagdaanan mo, just get
over them and continue pushing
on. Persevere. 
UP Diliman Tops…
(from page 1)
Edrid Latauan and Hyacinth Mae
Tambago, 85.10, top 5; Edgeline
Savannah Yan, 84.30, top 6; Leo
Angelo Padasas, 83.90, top 7;
Patrick Ramoso, 83.80, top 8; and
Thor Alexis Sazon, 83.40, at top 9.
Hyacinth Mae Tambago, Kenneth
Robert de Guzman, and Patrick
Ramoso graduated summa cum
laude last April 2010. Tambago
and Ramoso have also recently
joined the faculty of the ChE De-
partment of UP Diliman.
Other successful board pass-
ers in the top ten are Dhan Lord
Balais Fortela of UP Los Baños,
86.40, at top 2; Pheterson Doping
of Ateneo de Davao University,
86.00, top 3; Georivic Pelandas,
University of Mindanao-Davao
City, 83.90, top 7; and Hazel Hen-
risha Chua, University of San Car-
los, 83.30, top 10.
Aside from dominating the
top ten, UP Diliman was also
hailed as the top performing
school with a 90% passing rate,
and was followed by UP Los
Baños with a passing rate of
82.76% or 48 board passers. UP
Diliman contributed 72 new
chemical engineers who will be
taking their Oaths of Professional
along with the other board pass-
ers before the Board of Chemical
Engineering. The oath taking
ceremony will be held on Decem-
ber 17, 2010, Friday, at 1:00 in the
afternoon at the Manila Hotel,
One Rizal Park, Roxas Boulevard,
Manila. Registration for member-
ship with the Philippine Institute
of Chemical Engineers (PICHE)
will take place after the registra-
tion as a professional with the
board and the commission.

 Reinventing the Life of ChE... for fun ;)
As the cliché goes “first impressions last.” Some ChE majors are usually met by surprise when they enter a class
for the first time and realize that the subject matter takes more than first impressions to truly appreciate. This is
an account of one student’s journey through the chemical engineering majors, so far. Let’s see how he fares…
“Many were called, but few were chosen.”
Many were called, but few were
chosen — this should be the tag
line of the department since the
very first day of my existence here
in UP they’ve been telling us that
only half of those present during
the college briefing would gradu-
ate as a chemical engineer. A
good way to welcome the fresh
students of the department, don’t
you think? And so I wondered,
how is life in ChE anyway? So far, I
came up with this:
ChE 26
ChE 26 is a programming
class where students were intro-
duced to chemical engineering
problems and problem-solving
techniques. It was exciting at first,
it being the first of many ChE ma-
jors, but later it just morphs into a
“Typing 101” session with
all the endless lines of
code!
Still, you will definitely top
the “scores” because this is one
of the more gallant courses in
terms of grading.
ChE101
Here comes the real deal!
ChE 101: Introduction to Chemical
Engineering. At times, this course
will feel like it was
“Introduction to
Conversion”.
Now that I have been formally
By Mark Anthony H. Asinas
introduced to chemical engineer-
ing, now I have an idea how ChE
life would go on. And I am most
certain that there will be a lot of
converting between units!
This introduction made me
feel a little weird sometime. One
day before I took ChE 101, I was
walking along the halls of Melchor
Hall when I asked a friend taking
said subject. He gave me the an-
swer, along with a bunch of other
information I didn’t really need to
know at that time: on how many
centimeters it is, feet, how many
meters there were in a mile, and
he continued until he talked about
paradigms. That day I swore, I’d
never ask a ChE student about
conversion EVER, so as to spare
me from information over-
load!
ChE122
Here is where things get
hardcore, BIGTIME! This semes-
ter is when students suddenly get
spiritual: you’ll see them pray
more often, go to church
every Sunday, and some- mentum transport, when a
times even fast! So where screeching bus collides
does thermodynamics come in? I head-on with another vehi-
don’t know, maybe when stu- cle. Talk about collision. Yeah…
dents cry due to failure, they re-
lease heat? At least they’re pre-
pared for what will come next…
-ed.
ChE123
Now you’re truly feeling the
burden of ChE, but you’ve got a
long way to go, buddy. ChE 123 is
still about thermodynamics, and,
continuing with my story, this is
the stage when students
feel they are approaching
sainthood after the martyr-
dom they had to go
through. How everyone would
wish for this to be a kindergarten
math class since hey, ChE123, as in
1…2…3. Okay, before I start to
get corny, I’ll move on…
ChE131
Transport processes. Hurrrr!
My mind was initially troubled
with thoughts of how buses,
jeepneys and trains do
their work every day. There
is turbulence, I guess, although in
a bigger scale. Akin to what air-
planes usually experience on bad
weather. Let us not forget mo-
Tbc…
T HE R EACTOR
1 3
 FEATURES:
June –December 2010 Editor: Patrick Valenzuela
CHE LIT

UNTITLED
Anonymous

When I was a little kid, I am none of the above. It gets harder and harder

I thought I was meant to write. I am a chemical engineering student. Every step of the way

But here I am staring blankly It’s the path I choose to love. Every failure and wrong turns

And couldn’t even start this right. Have their prices to pay

Why chemical engineering?

Then I remembered, It always bothers ChE student But because we’re ChE students

A lawyer I wanted to be. minds We’re truly one of a kind

Then I remembered, Is it because of math and chem During those rough times

I changed it because I was always Or we’re just simply one of a kind? Our way out, we will surely find.

the shy me.

Being a ChE student Being a ChE student, makes me a

I also thought in air force would be Is not as easy as wishing on four- lot

cool leaf clovers A lawyer who defends and not lies

Flying planes and serving my coun- Because we have to juggle every- It makes me an air force

try thing Serve my country, reach my dreams

But it shocked my mom and made Earlier than the others and fly

her said

I could serve my country in other ChE students are always thinking And lastly, since I wrote something

ways a plenty. If they’re choosing it right A writer it makes of me

Whenever reports, exams, plant You’re reading it in this paper

From the ones that I have men- designs You see

tioned, Consume their days and night.

T HE R EACTOR
1 4
 RIPPLE
n. a small wave or series of gentle waves across a surface.
By Charlie Montealegre

I never had any expecta- I was not alone. We might have solved
tions but had high spir- We worked together, problems,
its, joined, collaborated, Devised solutions or de-
Potential energy waiting Formed a network of signed processes,
to be unleashed, ripples. But we are acting as
And disturb the placid, Together we are mere ripples,
laminar state around stronger. We can do Surface disturbances agi-
me. more. tating the shallow wa-
I thought it would be And bring change form- ters.
easy, ing a turbulent milieu. For there in the depths,
That I would glide over Is the dark cornucopia
it all just like my friend of problems.
Breeze. Turbulence is good, fast Challenges we see but
I never expected so and dynamic. oblivious to the masses.
many obstacles, We transferred mass
Such high drag forces, better, heat efficiently,
Dissipating my energy, momentum with ease. This is our duty as rip-
My very existence. We are a successful lot. ples.
Successful ripples. To see,
But we forgot our call- To act,
I was worn by skin drag, ing. To initiate change,
Dissipated by form drag, The success made us And stir free of the
About to disappear and blind, murky sediments obscur-
be lost forever. For in the confines, a ing parity, truth, justice,
Until I noticed others simulation of the real peace.
like me, other ripples, world,

T HE R EACTOR
1 5
 GOLD’S GYM
Sponsor for Vignette: One Moment
Chemical Engineering Graduation Dinner 2010

MILLEUM TRAVEL CORPORATION

Sponsor for Beyond CliChÉ: UP Diliman ChE Seminar Series 2010

T HE R EACTOR
1 6