Sending Out Invitations

• Invitations must reach the invitees at least two weeks before the event.

• These should specify the date, time, place, the dress code for the occasion, as well as in whose behalf they are being sent.

  • If there is no specification regarding the required attire, it may be assumed that the attire is informal.

  • If the invitation is for dinner or a reception after six o’clock, the usual attire should be a barong for men and a long dress for women or a business suit or smart casual.

  • The words “formal” and “informal” should not be used as they may not share the same meaning among people who come from diverse backgrounds.

• A map or sketch of the venue must be included.

• Black ink should always be used in writing formal invitations.

Things to consider when inviting the following people:

1. Guest of honor/speaker (VIP)

• The letter of invitation must include the: (1) Profile of the audience and the other speakers, (2) Time allotted for their speech, and the (3) Theme of the event [if there is any].

  • These will serve as background materials for the speaker to use in their speech.

• When requesting the presence of high-ranking officials, always indicate a tentative date for the event.

2. Regents, national artists, etc.

• Avoid sending an invitation of courtesy when inviting a Regent or any individual whose presence is not much expected.

  • This gives the presumption that everyone who receives an invitation will come.

• Those of “national” stature (e.g. national artists, scientists, etc.) should be received with decorum and granted proper recognition.

• The people in charge of reception are expected to recognize VIPs by face.

3. University President

• When the President is invited to be a guest of honor, the chancellor must be informed.

  • In such times when the Chancellor is not available, the Vice-Chancellor will be the one responsible for receiving the President.

• Examples of events that are worthy of the President’s presence includes:

  • Investiture of a new president

  • Testimonial for major donors, supporters, friends of the University

  • Welcome reception for U.P. Oblation Scholars

  • University Foundation Day

  • Visit of heads of foreign universities, distinguished academicians, experts

  • Welcome/Farewell dinner for participants in international conferences hosted by the University

Responding to Invitations

• Invitations should be answered within one or two days to give ample time for the host to invite alternates.

Declining Invitations

• The reasons for declining an invitation should be acceptable.

• Declining must also be done as early as possible.

• In written communication, it is customary to include the faculty title below the addressee's name.

Ex: Victoria Reyes

Professor of Humanities

• In some situations, the addressee's highest degree may be written after their name.

Ex: Victoria Reyes, Ph.D.

Professor of Humanities

• In salutations, a Professor, an Associate Professor, and an Assistant Professor are all addressed as “Professor.” Meanwhile, an Instructor is addressed as "Mr.” or "Ms."

Ex: Dear Professor Reyes:

Dear Ms. Cruz:

• A Professorial Chair holder may add the name of the chair to their title.

Ex: Victoria Reyes, Ph.D.

Roberto Benedicto Professor of Humanities

• A faculty member who has an administrative position may add their designation to their faculty title.

Ex: Nestor Angeles, MD

Professor of Pediatrics and

Dean, College of Medicine

Arrival Honors

• Must be brief and neatly executed (can be a handshake or a photo op)

  • • It is no longer advisable to give corsages and leis (garlands) to guests for wearing.

    • Note: Prior research regarding the customs and traditions of foreign visitors must be made to ensure proper show of respect.

• Usually, the President/Chancellor will be the one receiving the guest.

Reception Line

• This line is ranked by position and may consist of the Chairman of the Board, the President, the Chancellor of the host campus, and the VP for Public Affairs.

• Other University officials may also be invited to join so long as the line is not too long.

Signing the guest book

• A university official should lead the guest of honor to the foyer where the guest book is.

• A photographer must be at their ready and a good pen must be available.

• In cases where the reception is too , a pre-printed registration list is provided which is attended to by a secretariat.

Reception area and holding room for VIPs

• Guests are usually ushered to the anteroom of the Office of the President.

• However, the nicest and most comfortable room in the building may also serve as the reception area to accommodate such individuals.

U.P. Flag

• The UP flag bears the institutional colors, with maroon on top and forest green below.

• At its center is the seal of the University of the Philippines.

National Flag

1. The flag can be hung both horizontally and vertically.

   • • When hung horizontally, the blue field should be on top.

       1. • Only when the Philippines is at war should the red field be at its peak.

     • Vertically, the blue field should be to the left of the viewers’ perspective with the red field at its opposite side.

2. The flag should never touch the ground.

3. When hoisting or lowering the flag, everyone should face the flag and stand at attention. Hats and headdresses should be removed with the right hand and must be held at the left breast.

4. Even without the presence of the Philippine flag, the same manner of respect to the flag must be observed when the national anthem is played. In this sense, all must face the musicians.

Flag positioning

1. During Procession - The Philippine Flag should be placed on the right side, with the UP Flag on its left side.

2. On Stage

   • • The Philippine Flag should be on the right side of the stage or to the left of the audience.

     • The UP Flag, on the other hand, should be on the left side of the stage or to the right of the audience.

3. Vehicle - The Philippine flag should be on the left side of the vehicle’s front, with the ambassador’s flag on the right.

• The important seats are the focal point.

  • • The rest of the guests should have a good view of the guest of honor.

    • The seats must also be arranged in order of importance to the guests, regardless of gender.

• The place of honor should be to the right of the host.

  • • The next most important guest should be seated on their left side.

    • The third and fourth should be to the right and left of the co-host, and so on.

• Who is considered the honored guest? In most cases, they are:

  • • The guest of honor as cited in the invitation

    • The guest speaker

    • The ambassador or government official for whom the dinner is given

    • The donor in a turnover event

• The place of honor is commonly allotted for foreign visitors, except when a prominent national figure is in attendance.

• The Members of the Board of Regents and University officials must be seated at the table according to their ranks and who is senior to whom.

• During social dinners, the sexes are alternately seated, and husbands and wives are separated and are occasionally even seated at different tables.

• In cases where the spouse is present, s/he will naturally assume the rank of his/her mate.

• It is helpful to mark the seats of the event host and co-host using place cards.

• During large dinners, University and college officials must be dispersed among the tables, assuming the role of hosts.

• Place cards and menu cards must match in terms of their paper stock, printing, and design.

  • • The paper stock is in light printing.

    • The printing is in blank ink (although word-processed using artistic font is also acceptable).

    • The design must have the U.P. seal and logo, if one has been adopted, on the top margin.

• Security arrangements must be included in the preparations if dignitaries, politicians, and the likes are coming for dinner.

• It is also customary for the University Police to escort visiting ambassadors and other dignitaries from the entrance to the venue of the event.

The host must always be on the left side, as it is the place of authority.

Do’s

• Serve Filipino cuisines to balikbayans and first-time visitors to the country.

• Serving fillet is preferred instead of other fish dishes.

  • Some Westerners are put off by the idea of eating an entire fish that has its head and eyes still intact.

  • It is advisable that someone is there to describe and explain Filipino foods and customs.

• Use menu and dish cards when there are foreign visitors as these contain information and offer a sense of formality.

• Ask the secretary in advance to know if the guest of honor has any food preferences.

• It is ideal to serve fresh fruit juice rather than canned juice.

• It is good if red or white wine is partnered with any major meals.

Don’ts

• Do not serve Chinese food to Chinese guests and Korean food to Korean guests if you only have the chance to host them for dinner once during their entire stay.

• Muslim or Jewish guests should not be served pork. Hindu guests should not be served beef.

• Avoid serving lavish meals during fundraising events and gratitude dinners.

Important guidelines in serving liquors

• During President-hosted functions, alcoholic beverages are preferably only be provided at: (1) The Executive House, and (2) university facilities classed as tourist-oriented establishments.

• Guests under the age of 18 should not be given alcoholic beverages.

• Alcoholic beverages must never be served during regular office hours.

• Expenses for wine and other alcoholic beverages are almost always charged from the President's or Chancellor's discretionary budget.

• Gifts and tokens are customary in events and are commonly given to acknowledge someone who has exerted efforts to make events successful.

Possible Tokens To Give

• Small items that highlight the University's research, inventions, and products

• Inexpensive items for personal use that are given an institutional touch by having been stamped with the university’s name or logo

  • 1. Calendars

    2. Calculators

    3. Letter-openers

    4. Paper weights

    5. Desktop organizers

    6. Appointment books

    7. Address books

    8. Key chains

    9. T-shirts with U.P.

    10. Themes

    11. Pens

• Gifts of books

  • 1. U.P. publications (just remember to never give something that is contrary to someone’s sentiments)

• Special institutional gifts

What not to give

• Items that means harm on the recipient’s culture

  • 1. A clock, for example, should not be given as it symbolizes death among the Chinese

• Bulky or heavy items

• Items that bring trouble with the customs officer

  • 1. Pirated CDs,

    2. battery-operated gadgets

    3. perishable foodstuff, etc.

• Expensive “personal" items

Reminders on Giving Tokens and Gifts

• Honorees of testimonial and retirement meals receive a more special gift

• University tokens and institutional gifts must be tastefully made, respectable, and appropriate

• Do not open gifts while a courtesy call or dinner is in progress unless prompted by the giver themself

• Establish an official gift registry and have it updated periodically to avoid giving duplicate gifts to the same institution

• Sometimes, events attended by high-ranking officials and/or prominent people in society are covered by the media. The following are things to consider:

  • 1. Press kits may be handed out in advance when outside press coverage is invited

    2. Some space must be set aside for a television crew if they are expected to come

• Prepare to audio record. If the budget permits, you can also video-record it.

• Do not publish their words exactly without their consent.

According to Memorandum No 060, Series of 2022 (May 24, 2022), all offices and units shall play the following institutional videos (bit.ly/UPLBvideos) produced by the Office of Public Relations (OPR) when holding events

Videos to be played before the program starts

1. UPLB: University of the Philippines Los Baños (1:37);

2. UPLB: Nurturing Innovation, Creativity, and Service (4:06); and

UPLB: A Future-proof University (4:12)

Videos to be played during breaks

• UPLB Agro-Industrial Park and Information Technology Park or AIP-ITP (2:41);

• UP Sierra Madre Nature and Conservation Reserve (4:32);

• UPLB AGORA or Accelerating Growth through One Research and Extension Agenda (7:12); and

• Other videos to be produced by the university

Videos to be played whenever applicable (Featuring the UPLB Choral Ensemble and Harmonya: String Ensemble of UPLB):

1. Official Lupang Hinirang

2. Official UP Naming Mahal

• According to Memorandum 113, Series of 2022 (September 20, 2022), the captions of the posts of webinars, from November 2020 to the present, will be edited to include the hashtags #WatchUPLB and #UPLBwebinars. Succeeding webinars will also use the said hashtags. CIMRC should also ensure that webinars are available to the public

• All details about the previous and succeeding UPLB webinars must be filled out in the directory (bit.ly/watchUPLB)

• According to Memorandum No. 149 SO 2021, the following certificates can be issued by any UPLB unit:

• Certificate of Recognition - for those who have received merit-based awards.

• Certificate of Appreciation - for the resource speakers and other individuals who have significantly contributed to an activity

• Certificate of Completion - for individuals who successfully finished a series of training, seminars, workshops, etc., that were held for at least two days and required complete attendance, active participation, and submission of outputs.

• Certificate of Participation - for individuals who took part in workshops, training, seminars, and other relevant activities. This certificate is issued only if the activity specifically calls for active participation and interaction between and among the participants and the speakers.

• Certification of Attendance - for individuals who attended events, training, and seminars, without necessary interaction expected from the attendees. This may also be issued for individuals who attended only a part of a series of events. Except for the first four certificates, this certification shall be on the official letterhead of the unit. A list of attendees may be attached.

• Memorandum No. 107 SO 2022 states that news and feature articles, which follow their own style, do not necessarily need to specify titles or faculty ranks and the highest degree earned.

  • • This also applies to the names of signatories in certificates (OC Memo 2021-149), letters, and other communications.

According to Memorandum No. 149 SO 2021, the signatories to be used for the following organizers are:

1. Name of the signatory - [should be in] bold font, uppercase, with no title, salutation, academic degrees, or licenses obtained

2. Position of the signatory - under the name

3. Name and position of the signatory - [should be] placed at the center of the certificate

4. A maximum of three (3) signatories will be the allowed only for UPLB Unit and partner agencies (non-UP), such that the name of the highest official should be placed on the right side.

5. Committees, projects, or programs and other smaller units under a department or institute shall not issue certificates.

Design

1. Only the design provided by the OPR should be used for official certificates

2. Depending on the organizing unit/s, a maximum of three logos (including the UP logo) may appear at the top center part of the certificate.

   • • UP logo - leftmost part

     • Smallest unit - right

3. Names of the units [if needed], should be placed below the logos, in title case, with the name of the smallest unit on top and the name of the University under

4. Fonts and design elements should adhere to the UP VIG 2017 and other branding guidelines by the University

5. Paper size - [not smaller than] 8 x 10 inches

6. Paper color - white, off-white, or light cream

7. Paper quality - [at least] 90 GSM

8. Certificates are to be printed in full color, making sure that the UP colors are properly presented

9. Certificates of recognition and appreciation shall be placed in a jacket bearing the name of the University

Content

[Depending on the type of certificate], the content should at least bear:

1. A well-crafted citation

2. Title of the activity

3. Date and venue of the activity/event