UP Jambangan

History

UP Jambangan (UPJ) was founded by a group of friends in 1991. All coming from Zamboanga, they decided to form a provincial organization and hold activities back home to serve their fellow Zamboangueños.

It had 28 founding members with Raymond Royales as its president and its first adviser was Dr. Waldetrudes Sison also known as Dra. Wild. The first org tambayan was in Vinzons Hall and eventually, the org relocated to several venues like Kamia Residence Hall, Yakal dining hall, Vinzons Hill, and many more.

The organization focused on activities like the annual DARE DISCO, recruitment talks, UP Fair Booths, registration assistance and the like. It also held yearly quiz shows, outreaches, sem openers, and sem enders. During these times, Jambangan was considered the epitome of a provincial organization, and set the standards for other provincial orgs.

In the year 1999, the organization crumbled. A mass resignation of officers due to disagreement regarding how the organization was being run triggered this downfall. UP Jambangan was inactive for 5 years after that.

In 2004, however, UP Jambangan was again recognized under the leadership of Angeli Maye Natividad with 16 members and a tambayan on Vinzons Hill. Then the Jambangan logo was created and the first interactive quiz show called “Wired” was held. The organization stayed active for a year before again slipping into dormancy.

June 2006 saw the revival of the then inactive organization. Members of the old Jambangan met and elected a set of officers led by Leoneil John Francisco that brought Jambangan several projects and activities both in Manila and in Zamboanga City. The set of officers elected, most of which are serving their second terms, focused on building friendships within the organization and establishing ties with other organizations for future partnerships, as well as gaining exposure in Zamboanga City.

After two years (2008), Jambangan again suffered several organizational problems. It went to another period os hiatus. And finally, in 2010, Arnie Bong Fernandez Arquiza (current UP Jambangan president) called for the reestablishment of UPJ.