Brisbane — Organised by UP Baguio Alumni and hosted by Gale Carroll, on November 29, 2025 at Sabor Café and Grill, UP President, Hon. Angelo A. Jimenez met with alumni in Southeast Queensland and delivered a powerful message: the Philippines has a narrow window to secure its future and UP must lead the way.
Fresh from his visit to London, he admitted he initially hesitated to travel during the Christmas season but said he was grateful the Brisbane stop pushed through. He was warmly welcome by alumni from UP Diliman, UP Manila, UP Los Banos, UP Bagiuo, among others.
“There is a deadline to our dreams,” Jimenez told the group. “We have 20 to 25 years to act or we may never catch up…No other institution in the country has this capacity. These technologies will determine whether we survive the next 100 years.”
Jimenez outlined ongoing structural reforms aimed at repositioning UP as a research-intensive national university. Among them are: 1.) Creation of the Office of the Vice President for Digital Transformation, 2.) Separation of research and innovation from traditional administrative functions, 3.) A shift toward increasing graduate programs and research output, and 4.) Building capacity in genomics, nuclear science, AI, semiconductors, and space technology.
Jimenez underscored the Philippines’ fragility if it remains technologically dependent.
He urged alumni to understand that innovation is now a matter of national survival, not prestige.
With an estimated 300,000 UP alumni worldwide, Jimenez said he has been meeting communities across the US, Europe, Middle East, and Australia to build a global platform for collaboration.
He praised Filipino scientists abroad —many leading breakthroughs in genomics, policy, and engineering — and invited them to contribute to UP’s long-term vision. He reiterated the updated UP motto, “Honour and Excellence in the Service of the Nation.” He stressed that service is not merely altruism but a safeguard for the Philippines’ future.
Closing with lines from Tennyson’s Ulysses, Jimenez encouraged alumni to continue striving:
“Come, my friends.
’Tis not too late to seek a newer world.”
