The College of Home Economics (CHE) commemorated the centennial year of Home Economics (HE) at the University of the Philippines from November 2021 to November 2022, with the theme “This is HE.” The goals of the event were
to showcase the history of HE in the UP over the past century, hold fun-filled activities to celebrate the centennial, and conduct a national conference to share knowledge and research on the contributions of HE to rebuilding families and communities after the pandemic. The Department of Home Economics Education organized the kick-off event, “This is HE ConcHErt: A Celebration of Talents.” The virtual concert reached a broad audience, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, retirees, and friends of CHE, with 173 attendees on Zoom, 1000 viewers on Facebook Live, and 163 viewers on YouTube. The concert featured a documentary video called “This is Home Economics at 100 in UP,” which highlighted the significant events of HE in UP over the past 100 years, including its relevance during the pandemic. The event also showcased the talents of nine performers: CTID Roaring Twenties, FSN Collective, FLCD Faculty, Ms. Renee Ysabella Esteban, Asst. Prof. Hui, Ms. Sherina Moralejo, FLCD Batch 2018, Jitter Jays, and CHE REPS and administrative staff. Most of them performed original compositions that celebrated hope and embracing changes amidst challenging situations. The lone dance performance was an original choreography of the Clothing Technology and Interior Design students.
The virtual concert successfully achieved its aim of providing a fun and lively start to the year-long HE Centennial Celebration. The event received positive reviews from the participants, and the viewers were impressed with the performers’ talents.
The Department of Home Economics Education also played a leading role in the HE Centennial celebration by collecting 100 recipes for a commemorative book project that will be launched in 2023. The recipe book, titled “Tara, igma ta! Kaon ran!”, serves as a gift from the College to the UP community and Filipino families. The book does not include a simple list of ingredients and procedures commonly found in social media, blogs, and commercial recipe books; it also includes essential information such as serving size, preparation time, and a budget estimate. Some recipes have been modified to include readily available ingredients during calamities or the pandemic. The book contains healthy snacks from the Child Development Center, recipes from the Department of Food Science and Nutrition’s FB page called Padayon ND, patron-loved recipes from the Tea Room, modified and original recipes based on the contributors’ pantry or backyard garden that is published by the Department of Home Economics Education on their own FB page titled “What’s in Your Kitchen?”, and other recipe contributions from CHE staff and friends. The recipes embody the ideals and areas of practice of the home economics discipline, making them a valuable planning tool for the UP community and Filipino families.
The HE Centennial National Conference that took place on November 14 to 15, 2022 was the highlight and culminating event of the HE centennial celebration. It was organized by the Department of Home Economics Education and the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management. The conference focused on the theme “Redesigning the Material and Relational Aspects of Life through Home Economics,” highlighting the role of various sub-disciplines of home economics in helping families and households adapt to the changing material and relational needs brought by the ongoing pandemic.
The HE Centennial National Conference looked back on how home economics had helped families adapt to their changing needs in the past, and explored how the discipline could continue to improve the well-being of families and households in the current harsh conditions through its different areas. The conference featured three sub-themes: (1) the contribution of home economics to achieving SDGs; (2) the role of home economics in recovering from the Covid 19 Pandemic; and (3) teaching home economics and its subdisciplines in the next 100 years.
The conference was well-attended, with more than 500 participants registering and joining on different days and times. The first day included a panel discussion by former CHE deans, a symposium on the contribution of home economics to attaining the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and oral presentations of notable research. The second day featured a thought-provoking keynote speech by Dr. Sue Mc. Gregor, a symposium on utilizing the competitive advantages of home economics subdisciplines in rebuilding families and communities post-pandemic, and more oral presentations of notable research. In addition to these features, the conference also published a conference journal with high-quality peer-reviewed research articles in cooperation with the Philippine Association for Technology in Home Economics of State Colleges and Universities (PATHESCU), Inc.
The 100th anniversary of home economics as an academic discipline at the University of the Philippines emphasized its importance in addressing significant issues faced by families and households, particularly in managing resources within their homes. It aimed to go beyond simply meeting the needs of individuals and families by considering the welfare of the larger community as well. As Dr. Florencio (1995)[1] stated, “Where there are homes and families, there will always be a place for home economics. And where there is a University of the Philippines serving the nation, there is also a space for the study and growth of the discipline of home economics.”
[1] Florencio, Cecilia A. (1995b). Families and home economics monograph series 2: The College of Home Economics at the University of the Philippines: What it was, what it is, what it wants to be and the process of becoming. Quezon City: College of Home Economics, University of the Philippines Diliman.