History - University of the Philippines Manila

Our History

The University of the Philippines Manila (UP Manila) is one of the eight constituent universities of the University of the Philippines (UP) System. It is a public and secular institution of higher learning that offers academic and training programs, as well as extension services in the health sciences, health professions education, arts, and sciences.

History

UP Manila at Present

Vision

Mission

The Chancellors of UP Manila

The history of UP Manila is a compendium of the history of its individual units, some of which, like the College of Medicine (CM) and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), antedate the establishment of the University of the Philippines.

The Philippine Medical School, CM's forerunner, was established on December 1, 1905 by the Philippine Commission under Commonwealth Act No. 1415 and opened on June 10, 1907, initially housed at the School for the Deaf and Blind on Malecon Drive (now Bonifacio Drive). It was later renamed UP College of Medicine and Surgery under Act No. 1870. The School transferred to its present home along Pedro Gil Street on July 1, 1910. The control and management of the medical school was entrusted to the Board of Regents on December 8, 1910. Its name was shortened to UP College of Medicine on March 1, 1923.

In 1907, the US government passed a law establishing the PGH. On September 1, 1910, the 350-bed capacity hospital was opened to the public for health care delivery and clinical instruction and training of medical students, with Dr. Paul Freer as the first Medical School Dean until 1912. On February 5, 1915, the Philippine Legislative Act No. 2467 reorganized the Training School for Nurses into the PGH School of Nursing and established it as a department of PGH.

UP Manila at Present

UP Manila is recognized today as the country's premier institution for the health sciences and the leader in health human resource, education, training and research. It occupies an area of 14 hectares of prime land, comprising approximately two blocks in Manila's Ermita District. It is bounded on the north by the United Nations Avenue; on the east by Taft Avenue; on the south by Pedro Gil Street; and by Maria Orosa Street on the West.

UP Manila has nine (9) degree granting units: College of Allied Medical Professions (CAMP), College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), College of Dentistry (CD), College of Medicine (CM), College of Nursing (CN), College of Pharmacy (CP), College of Public Health (CPH), National Teacher Training Center for the Health Professions (NTTC-HP), and the School of Health Sciences (SHS). These degree-granting units continuously provide the highest quality of advanced instruction, professional training, basic and applied research and community service.

The College of Medicine and College of Nursing are recognized as Centers of Excellence (COE) by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). In addition, the College of Nursing is a WHO Collaborating Center for Leadership in Nursing Development in the Asia-Pacific region. The South East Asian Ministers Educational Organization (SEAMEO) named the College of Public Health as the SEAMEO-TROPMED Regional Center for Public Health, Hospital Administration, and Environmental and Occupational Health. The National Teacher Training Center for the Health Professions is a WHO Regional Education Development Center for Health Professions Education.

Our Mission

1. To provide health science-focused transformative education, enabling andencouraging students to take creative and constructive action that contributes to the improvement of their community, the nation, and the world, based on a strong sense of their cultural and historical identity, as well as a shared humanity.

2. To serve as a research hub in various fields of specialization in the health sciences by conducting integrative and collaborative basic, applied, and clinical research and development, contributing to the dissemination and application of knowledge,and shaping national health policies.

3. To lead as a public service university by providing various forms of community, public, and volunteer health services, as well as medical, scholarly and technical assistance to the government, private sector, and civil society while maintaining its standard of excellence. CORE VALUES: Honor, Excellence, Integrity, Social Responsibility, Leadership, Innovation, Global Competitiveness, and Nationalism.

About Us

Our Vision

Our Mission