The University of the Philippines Institute for Small-Scale Industries (UP ISSI) welcomed Dr. Gonzalo Campoamor II, or VC Siao as he is fondly called, as its new Officer-In-Charge (OIC) this July.
This came after the ISSI’s former Director Dr. Aleli B. Bawagan was appointed as Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs of UP Diliman.
Dr. Campoamor, who is currently the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development of UP Diliman, has been with the University for more than two decades. Starting out as an Instructor after his graduation in 1996, he is now a Professor at the Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature in UP Diliman. He also served as Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Letters (CAL) from 2009 to 2014 and as Director of Research Dissemination Office of OVCRD from 2014 to 2020.
Dr. Campoamor completed his MA in Filipino in UP Diliman, and his MA and PhD in History at the Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo, where he was a Monbukagakusho (Japanese Government) scholar.
In the short time that he has been with ISSI, Dr. Campoamor realized how important the Institute is to the University, and thinks of ways how it can contribute more to its flagship programs.
“What I have learned the past few months not only validated what I know about the role of MSMEs in our history and economy, but has also reinforced the idea in me that the MSME sector and institutions geared toward their development must further be forged.”
Given the crisis brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Campoamor would also like to roll out plans for ISSI to contribute to Filipinos who have lost their jobs through entrepreneurship and to further assist the MSME sector.
“At the very least, provide training to people who need sources of income, and, on a grander scale, provide data that will be helpful to policymakers.”
Welcome to UP ISSI, VC Siao!