From Our Roots, Beyond Boundaries: Celebrating the UP GE Club’s 89th Anniversary

For 89 years, the UP Geodetic Engineering Club (UP GE Club) has been the prime organization promoting proficiency and excellence in their profession. This year, they celebrate their 89th founding anniversary since their establishment on August 15, 1937 with the theme “TANAH: From Our Roots, Beyond Boundaries.” This anniversary aims to look beyond standard surveying, illustrating the vital and diverse role of geodetic engineering in the society and community.

Beyond commemorating the organization’s history, legacy, and built connections, the celebration highlights how land is something beyond what geodetic engineers measure physically. Each parcel of land tells their own stories: from resolving boundary disputes, to protecting and recognizing the ancestral lands of the indigenous peoples, to defending national sovereignty of the West Philippine Sea through accurate and reliable spatial measurements, and assessing the Pax Silica’s effect on the lands that it will cover. Through TANAH, the organization emphasizes that geodetic engineering does not only measure lands but also listens, analyzes, and provides solutions to the space and the people connected to it. It is the present and future engineers’ responsibility to develop competence and integrity for the advancement of their profession and the public good.

To mark this milestone, the UP GE Club organized a lineup of activities running from October 2026 through February 2027. This was commenced by the execution of the sportsfest, exhibit, and gift-giving, and to be followed by the alumni talk, anniversary celebration, alumni skill workshop, and outreach program.

The sportsfest has a theme “KAMANG” which means grindstone, as it aims to develop teamwork and sportsmanship with the participants through different challenges. The games include sack race, patintero, dodgeball, six-legged pentathlon, and catch the tail, all designed for the purpose of the event. It also allowed socialization and community development within the Department of Geodetic Engineering. This successfully took place on October 11, as they brought together more than 50 participants from across the department.

Following this, the exhibit took place for one whole week from October 12 to 16, with the theme “TALUKTOK,” the highest point of something. It was intentionally designed to illustrate the connection between geodetic engineering, community land rights, and societal challenges.

Alongside the exhibit, a gift-giving initiative was also done to express appreciation to the department’s building staff. This was a sub-event together with our outreach program under the theme “SALOG” that means floor or ground. The outreach program was scheduled for February 2027, focusing on supporting local farmers through direct community immersion and educational segments. 

Meanwhile, this celebration welcomes a new event entitled Alumni Series with the theme “HALIGI” or pillar, which highlights the expertise of the UP GE Club alumni by sharing it to the members and other students. It contains two sub-events such as the Alumni Talk, an event exclusive for the members, and the Alumni Skill Workshop, which is open for everyone.

Through these initiatives, the UP GE Club continues to foster camaraderie, competence, integrity, and groundedness. For more updates on their 89th Anniversary activities, visit their official social media channels: @upgeclub on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter), and @upgectok on TikTok.