Who is behind your journey in UP Diliman?

Words by: Dennise Go and Jv Trinidad

Art by: Dennise Go and Jv Trinidad

Our college stories lie in the cherished activities of our everydays: whether it’s running late through the hallways of Palma Hall, satisfying cravings in A2, or jogging around the Acad Oval for your “new year, new me” mantra. But behind every memory are the people who make our college experience count. We don’t see their faces in the posters that surround our buildings, nor in big events, yet their labor quietly but impactfully elevates our daily lives on campus. 

Despite dedicating much of their time in service to the university, many of these workers face their own silent battles, such as long hours and constant pressure of being undervalued in a system that benefits from their work. As UP students, celebrating them is only the beginning. It's in knowing their struggles and raising our voices when they can’t that we fulfill our obligation as Iskolar ng Bayan. Here’s a list to celebrate and delve deeper into the lives of those who are the university’s unsung heroes.

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Jeepney Drivers

Before the UP IKOT became part of the everyday lives of the Iskolar ng Bayan, it all began with one man who practiced compassion: Irineo Odoy, fondly known as “Lolo Neong.” In 1949, when UP was still literally a “university of pure walking,” the community birthed his new name as “Dagul”: a colloquial Kapampangan term meaning “big.” The fare was five centavos; goodwill was the capital. According to his grandson, Gerardo Lopez, the first rotation of transportation in UP was driven by a culture of shared humanity. By 1958, more routes, drivers, and stops expanded the movement across campus.

That same spirit shows up every day in jeepney drivers like Melvin T. Lagdalan, who has been on the UP Philcoa route since 2012. During the pandemic, when most jeepneys had stopped running, he was one of the few drivers still showing up, giving rides to one or two passengers at a time. “Gusto kong kumita kahit papaano,” he shared, even as the fuel prices soared to ninety pesos per liter while the fare remained at eleven.

Today, the threat isn’t a virus, but the rising fuel costs and the government’s jeepney phase-out program, which has pushed drivers off the road entirely without adequate financial support or transport assistance. And yet, he stays. He knows this road, this community, and most especially the students. “Laban lang, kumbaga, habang may buhay. Laban lang.” From five centavos to a fare that can barely cover fuel, the jeepney’s story goes beyond institutional history. It's Kuya Melvin, showing up every morning, just to make student life a bit easier.

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University Security Personnel

They are the first people you see when you enter campus, greeting you with a warm smile, a “good morning,” or, if you’re unlucky enough, “Nasaan ang ID mo?” Their presence provides a sense of structure, security, and warmth with the ever-so-open campus to the public.

Lendy Baran, a lady guard stationed at Palma Hall, clocks in at 7 AM and doesn’t leave until 7 in the evening. ”Monitoring ng student, checking ng ID at sino pumapasok-labas,” she describes her day, although this barely scratches the surface.

Beyond enforcing university rules and regulations, she also takes on responsibilities that often go unnoticed. She directs traffic, assists lost parents in finding ceremonial venues, and patiently guides freshies each year as they navigate the vast campus.  

What makes this harder is that many of the security personnel in UP are contractual workers hired through third-party agencies, meaning they often lack the job security and benefits that regular university employees receive. And still, she doesn’t ask for much in return. “Pag nakikita masaya yung mga students – simpleng thank you lang, at yung pag-approach nila– ‘yun na.” Many of us go about our day without even acknowledging them. Yet, they continue to wake up early, showing their care through genuine service and a constant commitment to keeping the campus safe.

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Non-Academe Staff

Nako, enrollment season na naman! Students are going through a fiasco, enlisting for classes, and praying to be on the good side of CRS. They’d do anything for those units as they are nearing the end of their college journey, but who is behind this all? 

A student evaluator at UP Diliman works behind the scenes to ensure that every graduating student’s records are accurate and their path to graduation is navigable. “Papel, maraming paperwork, and it takes so much time evaluating kada student, non-stop siya. Actually, it also exceeds the official 8 hours, since there’s also a lot of inquiries through email.” The work often exceeds the office hours, blending into time meant for family and personal time, and is a constant commitment to keeping each student on track.

“There is a different kind of passion when it comes to paperwork behind every student’s enrolled course and every cleared requirement checked as we near graduation; someone is endlessly going through every single document and email.” And yet, through the weight of it all, the reward they cherish is the success of the students they guide along their college journey. 

"Rewarding kapag grumagraduate na sila — nakikita mo na masaya siya. Kapag may problema at nasagot namin, o nabigyan siya ng solusyon, o kahit konting hope — masaya na ‘ko dun. And a thank you is already enough."

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Campus Vendors 

Mais at empanada, ano tara? Ate Rosbie Galanza has been selling mais and empanada in front of Palma Hall, standing in her stall from 8 AM to 6 PM, ready when the campus wakes up, rain or shine. 

Our campus vendors do more than just feed our hunger; they feed the friendships, connections, and stories we make here on campus. They’d remember your usual order and often make sure that you leave their stalls with a bright smile on your face. However, our beloved campus vendors still face their daily struggles in business. “Mahirap kapag umuulan; wala talagang benta. Mahirap din kapag mainit. Sakit talaga ang mararanasan natin dito. ‘Yun ang hirap.”

Campus vendors like her face a great physical toll from standing outdoors for ten hours every day, exposed to weather and heat. Yet, she continues to find joy in the simple things. “Rewarding kapag maubos ang paninda, makita na busog ang aming customers, at binabalikan ako ng mga student. ‘Yun ang masaya.” Long after the lectures and lessons are forgotten, many of us will never forget how our favorite campus meals tasted. And behind that memory, there is someone who woke up early in the morning and braved their bodies throughout the day’s pains to prepare our cherished meals on campus.

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Groundskeepers & Maintenance Staff

The squeaky sound in the hallways, the cleared roads from the fallen leaves, the Acad Oval where we vent about our latest love quarrel—these are the small details that frame our daily lives on campus. We walk through them, rarely noticing the work and effort our staff has put into them. 

It’s not the most glamorous job, and Mary Anne Varaga would probably be the first to tell you that. She works through the Pavilion 3 classrooms, stairways, and women's restrooms. But regardless of her work being physically demanding and largely unseen and unacknowledged, she still holds warmth for the UP students and community. She carries an earnest sense of purpose, explaining, “Kung wala kami, paano malilinis yung mga kwarto? Kami ang taga-linis ng kalat nila eh… kami yung nagsisigurado na malinis yung classroom.” Her labor, alongside many groundskeepers, holds the campus together in ways many rarely notice.

Moving through UP during early mornings and in-between hours, it’s easy to take this work for granted—the wiped windows, the faint scent of wax, the order of shared spaces. “Mag-aral kayo nang mabuti. Kahit makalat kayo minsan, kami na ang bahala.” That’s the kind of care that makes UP feel less like a campus and more like a place someone actually looks after.

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Every year on May 1st, Labor Day rolls around, and the country acknowledges the workers who keep things running. As students of a university built on “Honor, Excellence, and Service of the Nation”, this day should mean something more. And yet, these workers who sustain our campus daily—our jeepney drivers, guards, vendors, and groundskeepers—often remain outside the conversation.

If there was one thing that UP Diliman has taught us to do, it would be to speak. It would be to make our voices heard as we fight the inconsistencies and objectionable systems we have around us. However, maybe a part of this lesson is learning to see, to truly see, the work and labor that sustain our daily lives here in the university—and perhaps even ask why so much of it goes unrewarded.

Acknowledgement is just the beginning; it can’t be where we stop. On this Labor Day, we must go a step further and amplify the calls of campus workers and labor groups pushing for fair wages and better working conditions. We must demand better treatment and support legislation that upholds workers’ rights, not just here in UP, but everywhere else. 

The next time we ride a UP Ikot, pass by our university guards, submit our student forms, order our favorite meals on campus, or walk along a freshly swept road, maybe we can take a pause. A pause to acknowledge the hours of work, passion, and love provided by the unsung heroes of our beloved campus. A pause to think about their struggles and fight for their rights. Because in reality, UP is not only built on the matter of the academe. It is built, every single day, by people who work quietly for us to learn loudly.