UP Speech Communication Association

UP SPECA Logo

The University of the Philippines Speech Communication Association more commonly known as UP SPECA is a non-sectarian, non-partisan socio-academic organization that aims to promote and increase the significance and power of Speech Communication. UP SPECA endeavors to promote speech communication as a vital discipline in the academe. It fosters the spirit of camaraderie among Speech majors. It also enhances the confidence and communication skills of its members and creates credible projects that help the campus and the community.

UP SPECA is based in the College of Arts and Letters and its official domicile is located at the Kubo #1, Tambayan Complex, Faculty Center Hill.

History

UP SPECA's Executive Committee AY 2011-2012 embodying the tagline for this year Think. Express. No limits!

The University of the Philippines Speech Communication Association (UP SPECA) was founded by Kenneth Jose Bajar with the help of his batchmates during AY 2000-2001. It was officially recognized by the College of Arts and Letters and the University the year after. It has been one of the most active student organizations ever since.

The organization’s main objective is to boost, promote, and increase the significance and power of speech communication using the unified mobilization of Speech majors and enthusiasts towards a better academe and community. In the spirit of camaraderie, the members of the organization work hand in hand, not only to cope with the challenges of being speech communication students, but also to foster a relevant and honorable organization that uplifts the legacy of knowledge, excellence, and leadership that bounds every “Iskolar ng Bayan” to the University of the Philippines, Diliman.

The Executive Committee and the Standing Committees

The Executive Committee is composed of the officers of the organization, the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary General, the heads of the standing committees, and their assistant.

There are six Standing Committees in the organization namely the Academics Committee, the Finance and Marketing Committee, the Internal Affairs Committee, the Performance Committee, the Public Relations Committee and the Recruitment Committee. Each committee performs for the organization functions related to its own particular field as it may choose to undertake on its own initiative, provided it acts only within the authority granted to them by the organization.

AY 2012 – 2013

Executive Committee AY 2011-2012

Chairperson: Patricia Ann Joy Tria
Vice- Chairperson: Erika Lualhati
Secretary General: Celine Salvador

Academics Committee
Head: Axl Ross Tumanut
Asst: Nelda Guttierez

Internal Affairs Committee

Head: Gia Gatapia

UP SPECA Members AY 2011-2012 2nd Semester

Asst: Christine Joy Gavan

Finance and Marketing Committee
Head: Joie Ann Balaong
Asst: Jeronimo Ascue

Performance Committee
Head: Napoleon Arnaiz Jr.
Asst: Dianne Katherine San Pedro

Public Relations Committee
Head: Sherie Claire Ponce
Asst: Mary Jodie Bibat

Recruitment Committee
Head: Kathryn Ann Hilario
Asst: Kathleen Fernandez

Events, Projects and Other Activities

Realizing that it is only through the unified mobilization of its members that it can accomplish its main goal of promoting and increasing the significance and power of speech communication, UP SPECA regularly conducted various activities which aimed to develop teamwork, solid group dynamics, and effective organizational communication among the members. UP SPECA’s General Assemblies (usually held during the second and last Thursdays of the month, from 4pm to 6pm at the CAL New Building) often served as the primary venue to plan and evaluate activities and discuss other group concerns, as well as the venue for the members to share their ideas, opinions, and experiences with each other. Aside from this, the organization held other events, not only to help its members develop their capacity to work effectively together, but also to further enhance their skills in all areas of speech communication. Moreover, this year the organization focused on objective and subjective evaluation of activities and members.

Despite its relatively young age, UP SPECA is proud to have established and maintained a good working relationship with the CAL Student Council. During the academic year, the organization was a regular attendee in the meetings called for by the SC, as well as an active participant in a number of its activities and events.

UP SPECA is also proud of its continued existence as a relevant and honorable organization that upholds the legacy of excellence, service, and leadership that bounds every iskolar ng bayan to the University of the Philippines. Last year, UP SPECA extended even farther beyond its borders when it participated in the First Pambansang Kumperensya sa Sarsuwela.

The Organization is not only an academic organization; it is a socio-civic group as well. It has proven throughout the academic year its ability to strike a balance between promoting speech communication as a vital discipline in the academe and fulfilling its social responsibilities.

SPECA Week

AtTENtion: UP SPECA's 10th Year Anniversary

Every year, UP SPECA celebrates its establishment as an organization through the SPECA Week which features different events and activities.

The organization will be celebrating its 5th annual SPECA Week on August 6 to 11, 2012, in celebration of its eleventh year of competitive existence! With the theme, UP SPECA: Driven @ 11, the organization wishes to show the UP Community that the members are driven to excell, driven to go further, and driven to step up and be better.

UP SPECA WEEK 2011 (August 23-September 3, 2011)

o SPECA Exhibit (August 23-26, 2011)

ANSAVEH?! The Ultimate Pronunciation Competition was the first ever articulation contest organized by UP SPECA.

The week opens with the SPECA Exhibit at the Gallery 1 of the Faculty Center. The Exhibit contains general information about the organization, including its mission, vision, objectives and its standing committees and the executive committee; pictures and documentation of the events this past semester and activities that will be accomplished by the organization in the final months of the semester and the year itself; and a brief discussion of the history of the organization.

o ANSAVEH?! The Ultimate Pronunciation Competition (September 1, 2011)

ANSAVEH?! was originally an Inter-org Impromptu Public Speaking Competition. During it's seventh year anniversary back in 2008, the competition was opened to all bona fide UP students. By 2011, ANSAVEH?! changed its mechanics and became an articulation competition open to all bona fide UP students.

o Alumni Dinner (September 3, 2011)

The Alumni Dinner serves as the culminating activity of the SPECA week. It is a get together of the alumni and current members of the organization. The first ever alumni dinner was held during the organization's 7th anniversary in 2008 at the University Hotel. It featured a set of performances by the current members of the organization then. This year's alumni dinner, however, was held at Tramway Buffet Restaurant. This event served as a venue for the current members to meet and socialize with the people who have been part of this family.

Annual Speech Cup

The UP SPECA Speech Cup is one of the organization's highly anticipated events.

Ramon Magsaysay Cubao High School, 2010 Champion, Speech Choir Category

It is an annual speech competition open to all high schools and colleges in Metro Manila and Mega Manila. It serves as a venue for the youth to express themselves through speech communication.

The UP SPECA Speech Cup originally named "Talastasan", officialy started in February 2006. It was a seminar-workshop made open to high school students about the areas of speech communication. In September of the same year, high school students battled through a speech choir competition. The following year, participants competed for the additional individual oral interpretation competition. In 2008, a public speaking competition was introduced; open to all colleges and universities. These events served as an opportunity for the youth to express themselves in both English and Filipino through Rhetoric and Performance Art.

The Competition is divided into the following categories:

Speech Choir

Groups perform one (1) literary piece: the official contest piece provided by UP SPECA.

The University of Rizal System, the champion in the 2009 Choral Recitation Category

Individual Oral Interpretation

The contest piece is pre-selected by UP SPECA upon advisement of the Department of Speech Communication and Theater Arts (DSCTA).

Each school is allowed to have only one representative for this category.

The UP SPECA Speech Cup aims:

1. To promote the significance and power of speech communication.
2. To foster youth involvement in the creative and equally challenging pursuits of performance art and rhetoric.
3. To provide a venue for self expression and social responsiveness.
4. To propel the Filipinization of speech communication.

SPECA Boys love SPECA Girls

Lovapaloco and A Very PERFect Love

As we all know February isn't just the month for midterms and the UP Fair, it is also a month when Valentine's Day is annually commemorated and even celebrated by couples and friends.

Valentine's Day for UP SPECA is an important event because two of its most exciting and anticipated events take place during this time, its annual Valentines Festivities namely Lovapaloco and PERFectly In Love (formerly A Very PERFect Love). The two events are headed by the Internal Affairs Committee and the Performance Committee.

Lovapaloco

Lovapaloco is a SPECA event wherein the organization is separated into two groups by gender.

The SPECA Girls singing a Harana at the AS Steps

It is a whole day event which usually culminates before or after PERFectly In Love. The SPECA Girls and SPECA Boys (as the members call themselves) battle each other to show what the sweetest possible thing they can offer to the opposite gender. It is an event where the members of the organization show how much they cherish each other. The 'Kilig' factor usually decides who wins the contest.

A gender bender performance of Beauty and the Beast

PERFectly in Love

Another one of UP SPECA's Valentine event is PERFectly in Love spearheaded by the Performance Committee. In this event, members of the organization are asked to nominate couples, love teams and even love triangles who they want to see perform. The couple/trios with the highest votes get to perform during the event. The performers then randomly pick one performance from a list prepared by the Performance Committee.

The other half of PERFectly in Love is the Individual Performance. Aside from nominating couples, the members are also asked to nominate people who they want to see perform. But this time, the members are asked to indicate what kind of performance shall the individual do (e.g. Perform Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal and Pole Dance). People who are usually nominated in this part of the event are those who barely perform in SPECA activities.

Aside from the performance part of the event, 'kilig' and 'couple' games are also played by the members.

Former Chairperson, Franz Julius Pisueña, receiving the award for Best CAL Org at the CAL Recognition Rites 2011

Awards and Recognitions

• Certificate of University Recognition for AY 2010-2011

• Certificate of College Recognition for AY 2010-2011

• 2nd Runner-up, iSING: UP Sigma Delta Phi’s Inter-Org Singing Contest (March 6, 2009)

• Champion, iSING for Kids: UP Sigma Delta Phi’s Inter-Org Singing Contest (March 5, 2010)

• Finalist, Pi Sigma Debate Tournament (July 2008)

• Most Number of Attendees in the Alternative Classroom Learning Experience during the 2nd Semester AY 2009-2010 with their ACLE Hataw Na!: Expressing the Youth's Standpoint through Movement and Communication

• Certificate of Participation from the College of Arts and Letters for UP SPECA’s participation in the Pambansang Komperensya sa Sarsuwela

• Certificate of Participation from the College of Arts and Letters for UP SPECA’s participation in the National Speech Communication Conference (October 21 – 23, 2009)

• Pinakamahusay na Organisasyong Pang-estudyante sa Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura, UP DILIMAN AY 2008-2009 (April 25, 2009)

• Pinakamahusay na Organisasyong Pang-estudyante sa Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura, UP DILIMAN AY 2009-2010 (April 22, 2010)

• Pinakamahusay na Organisasyong Pang-estudyante sa Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura, UP DILIMAN AY 2010-2011 (April 16, 2011)

Best CAL Org

As a socio-academic organization which fosters speech communication as a field of higher learning and as an important facet of our everyday lives, the University of the Philippines Speech Communication Association (UP SPECA) has been actively spearheading and involving itself in various activities and projects that are deemed beneficial to both the academe and the community. Since its founding in the academic year 2000-2001, UP SPECA has established itself as one of the leading

Certificate for Best CAL Organization AY 2010-2011

organizations in the UP College of Arts and Letters (CAL) and in the whole University as well, which openly renders its service and manpower whenever the need arises. For the past years, UP SPECA has been organizing seminars, competitions, workshops, and conferences that further the study of speech communication- all of which, most especially those organized this year, have gotten overwhelming feedback from the UP community as well as from participating schools outside the University.

UP SPECA prides itself as one of the most competent and dynamic CAL organizations. With a total of 70 official members to its name, UP SPECA views its affiliates as assets rather than liabilities, which it can maximize, develop, and rely on as it pursues feasible venues, productive programs, and viable plans for the future. All throughout the year, UP SPECA has been able to employ its members to organize and participate in a variety of academic and social activities that have involved not only students of UP but all those who are willing to partake and share the same interests. Such activities include the Alternative Classroom Learning Experience (ACLE) held in both semesters, the UP SPECA Speech Craft (a public speaking contest open to all UP students), gadget, brand and food sales, and the successful UP SPECA Speech Cup 2008 which showcased various Metro and Mega Manila high schools and colleges and their talents in solo and group oral interpretation and extemporaneous public speaking.

Apart from enriching its experiences by helping in various academic pursuits in the college and in the university, UP SPECA also believes that there are people more in need outside the confines of the UP. Being a socio-civic organization as well, it has also extended its services by organizing visits and performances for the Comfort Women at La Lila Filipina and the cancer patients at the East Avenue Medical Center Cancer Ward. Some of its members also joined the Rotaract Club of Wack Wack, the youth counterpart of the Rotary Club which is a worldwide organization that aims to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.

UP SPECA reached several milestones this academic year. As the organization matures through time, the tasks that it tries to handle have also become bigger in scope and more challenging. This year, the organization had a week-long celebration of its 8th anniversary which culminated in the second UP SPECA Alumni Homecoming. Moreover, it has successfully conducted one of the organization's major events, the UP SPECA Speech Cup last November. It has also assisted the Department of Speech Communication and Theater Arts in its yearlong 50th anniversary celebration.

Given these major accomplishments of UP SPECA, the organization stands tall as a student organization that is committed in serving its mother department, the college, the University, and the Filipino community. Its mission to promote the significance and power of speech communication remains unwavering as it faces the daunting challenges and abundant opportunities that come on its way. While confronted with the dynamicity of our everyday lives, UP SPECA never stops in enhancing itself to be the best in its field. Fueled by the core values and thrusts that have guided and molded it throughout its eight years of existence, it continuously moves forward for the betterment of the people that it serves.

UP SPECA believes that human communication is pervasive in our society, and that people should be giving much premium in improving it. It is with this belief that UP SPECA steps up as a student organization that plays an essential and critical role in promoting and maintaining a harmonious communicative experience among people. In a world where too many stories are left untold and too many voices left unheard, UP SPECA chooses to come to the fore, break silence, and take on the challenge of recounting the unutterable narratives, the unspoken truths, and the unrealized awareness that people should be rightful of knowing.

See Also

The UP SPECA Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/up.speca Multiply Site: http://upspeca07.multiply.com/