# UP National College of Public Administration and Governance

The University of the Philippines - National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP - NCPAG), a degree-granting unit of the University of the Philippines Diliman, is the first school of public administration and public policy in Asia and the top educational institution in the said academic field and practice in the Philippines. It was established in 1952.
The college also serves as headquarters-secretariat of the Eastern Regional Organization for Public Administration (EROPA) and the Association of Schools of Public Administration in the Philippines (ASPAP).

## History

UP-NCPAG traces its roots to the Institute of Public Administration (IPA), which was established on June 15, 1952, after the University of the Philippines entered into an agreement with the University of Michigan in the United States to aid the former in providing technical assistance in the field of public administration as part of the Bell Mission's recommendations. For its first four (initially two) years, the IPA was under American leadership.
IPA was the first of its kind not only in the Philippines, but also in Asia. In its first two years of operations, the IPA had conducted three kinds of courses with the participation of 2,500 government officials and employees. Later, undergraduate and master's degrees in Public Administration were offered. From 68 students in First Semester 1953–1954, enrollment in these academic programs increased to about 200 every semester by 1955.
In 1968, the Doctor of Public Administration program (DPA) was instituted, which was followed by the opening of a diploma program the following year, enabling administrators to pursue specialized courses in public administration without going through the master's degree. However, the introduction of the DPA program came with the discontinuation of the Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration (BAPA) program due to the prevailing thought at the time prioritizing those that already having some level of professional work experience. Only in 1988 would the undergraduate program be reinstated, later transforming into the Bachelor of Public Administration (BPA) program.
It was initially housed in the Rizal Hall of UP's Padre Faura campus, despite being UP Diliman unit, although it did have some classes split between Manila and Quezon City, alongside having its Manila-based students vote for UP Diliman University Student Council officers. In 1992, to mark its 40th anniversary, the college officially transferred from UP Manila to its own college building within UP Diliman.
The college changed its name four times. From the IPA, it became the Graduate School of Public Administration (GSPA), the School of Public Administration (SPA), and the College of Public Administration (CPA). The current name, the National College of Public Administration and Governance, was approved by the University of the Philippines Board of Regents in its 1126th meeting on November 26, 1998.
In 2004, the Commission on Higher Education of the Philippines officially recognized UP-NCPAG as the most outstanding school of public administration in the country.
Two academic units of the university, the School of Urban and Regional Planning and the Center for Integrative and Development Studies, trace their roots to UP-NCPAG.

## Degree programs

* Bachelor of Public Administration
* Diploma in Public Management
* Master of Public Administration (Thesis and Non-Thesis Tracks)
** Majors:
*** Public Policy and Program Administration
*** Local and Regional Governance
*** Spatial Information Management
*** Organizational Management
*** Fiscal Administration
*** Public Enterprise Management
*** Voluntary Sector Management
* Doctor of Public Administration

## Centers and offices
### Center for Public Administration and Governance Education

The Center for Public Administration and Governance Education (CPAGE) is in-charge of the academic programs offered by the college: the Bachelor of Public Administration (BPA), the Master of Public Administration (MPA) and the Doctor of Public Administration (DPA) programs. Its director also serves as the College Secretary and Director of Studies.

### Center for Local and Regional Governance

Established by the University of the Philippines (UP) and Congress as the Local Government Center in 1965, the Center for Local and Regional Governance (CLRG) is the college’s research, training and consulting center for local governments.

### Center for Policy and Executive Development

The Center for Policy and Executive Development (CPED) is a specialized center of the University of the Philippines-National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG) that was established in 1968 as an Administrative Development Program (ADP) to pursue middle-management training and related extension programs. The ADP was transformed into a Center (ADC) in January 1977 and as a Center for Policy and Administrative Development (CPAD) on 31 July 1986. The CPAD was organized by the College to focus on and expand its research, education and training, and technical assistance activities in public policy and management in the light of the fundamental changes taking place in the government and country. On 26 November 1998, CPAD became the CPED when the College of Public Administration was transformed as University of the Philippines-National College of Public Administration and Governance. The Center is a policy think tank, research, and consulting office of UP NCPAG.

### Center for Leadership, Citizenship, and Democracy

The Center for Leadership, Citizenship, and Democracy (CLCD) undertakes research, training and extension, and consultancy on leadership, citizenship, civil society, and democracy and its institutions. It provides fellowship grants to experts and leaders in the academe, government, business and industry, and civil society. The Center disseminates its studies and other outputs through publications.

### NCPAG Library

The NCPAG Library provides bibliographic and information support to the curricular, research and extension programs of the college. It serves primarily the needs of its students, faculty and research staff. Its book collection consists of over 38,000 volumes in the field of public administration and related subject fields. The Library also serves as a supplementary source of materials in the social sciences to students, faculty and researchers of other UP units. It also accommodates government and private researchers, as well as graduate students from other schools, under certain conditions.

### Publications Office

Manages the publication of the Philippine Journal of Public Administration (PJPA), one of the longest running academic journals in the country. The Office also publishes books, occasional papers, monographs, and other teaching and training materials.

## Student Organizations
### UP NCPAG Student Council

The UP National College of Public Administration and Governance Student Council (UP NCPAG SC) is the official student governing body in NCPAG - University of the Philippines Diliman.
The NCPAG Student Government's Constitution states that the council's objectives are to:
* Serve as the forum of the sentiments and interests of students of the UP-NCPAG;
* Develop the students’ potentials to the fullest;
* Harness the unity of the students of the UP-NCPAG through the institutionalization of the participatory process in decision making and collective actions on issues concerning the college, the university, the country and the global community; and
* Promote ethics and accountability in public service.
Originally patterned after the executive and legislative branches of the national government of the Philippines, all positions are elected by the entire student body every May, alongside elections for the UP Diliman University Student Council (USC), to lead for the following academic calendar year.
The Council is made up of the following:
* Chairperson;
* Vice Chairperson (who also serves as Convenor of the League of NCPAG Organizations, an umbrella of all active NCPAG student organizations);
* NCPAG Representative to the USC;
* NCPAG Representative to the University Freshie Council (UFC);
* Five (5) Administrators comprising the 4 standing committees of the Council (Finance, External Affairs, Internal Affairs, Ways and Means, and Socio-Academic Affairs);
* Four (4) Councilors tasked to formulate and approve official policies and position of the Student Government, as well as forming special committees for projects, of which they will head; and
* Five (5) representatives from the Freshman, Sophomores, Junior, Senior and Graduate batch assemblies
The officers are also assisted by the Student Council Auxiliary Corps (SCAC), composed of NCPAG student volunteers who will provide assistance to the SC in the implementation of its programs.

### NCPAG Umalohokan

NCPAG-Umalohokan is the official student-journal publication of the college. Formerly a student publication, Uma (as it is colloquially known) sees the strength of Public Administration students that lies in research and academic essays. Its name is derived from the town criers of the pre-colonial societies, in charge of distributing information about new rules and regulations passed by datus.
The need for an information platform where research papers, academic articles, and other outputs of our students are published and disseminated became the motivation to reorganize Uma to what it is today. The organization is committed to making the journey of our Lingkod-Bayans holistic by contributing to their career opportunities through honing their skills in wide various ways.

### UP Samahan Tungo sa Progresibong Administrasyon (UP STPA)

UP Samahan Tungo sa Progresibong Admnistrasyon (UP STPA) is the sole and oldest socio-academic student organization based in UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP NCPAG), aiming to uphold the principles and practices of Public Administration.
Since its foundation in 1988, UP STPA has forwarded critical awareness, academic excellence, and public service as its core values and produced distinguished members holding important positions in both public and private sectors. As a home for the Lingkod Bayan, UP STPA continues to foster its virtues by advancing knowledge on important political and social issues inside and outside the university.

### Practice of Administrative Leadership and Service (PALS-NCPAG)

Founded in 1993, the Practice of Administrative Leadership and Service (PALS-NCPAG) is the oldest and biggest socio-political student formation within UP-NCPAG. It continuously strives for the advancement of student interests in the development of a more critically aware society and wise student leaders that are built to passionately serve towards an excellent community.
It champions good governance built upon the pillars of accessibility, dynamism, accountability, and excellence in all its endeavors, driven by cohesive, socially active, and committed members in service of the college, the university, and the country.

### Initiative for Genuine Involvement, Transparency and Empowerment-NCPAG (IGNITE-NCPAG)

Established in 2012, the Initiative for Genuine Involvement, Transparency and Empowerment-NCPAG (IGNITE-NCPAG) stands in its democratic decision-making, policies, and programs that promote equality in the university and the nation, forwarding its nationalist, reformist, and progressive orientation at the forefront of molding leaders across the diverse field of public administration.
It envisions a colleges which epitomizes social justice, social awareness, transparency, accountability, integrity and innovation; thereby, creating an environment which fosters an open and rigorous discussion of social issues, the active search for their solutions, and the effective execution of these solutions through the tools provided by an extensive knowledge of Public Administration.

### Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP - NCPAG (STAND UP NCPAG)

The Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP - NCPAG, commonly known as STAND UP NCPAG, was formed in 2020 out of the rise of militant undergraduates in NCPAG. The organization aims to break the status quo in terms of governance by forwarding genuine public service that caters to a mass-oriented purpose. It is mostly known for its principle that education is a right and that there is a need to be integrated with other sectors of society for the alliance recognizes that education and other national issues are greatly interlinked with one another.

## Notable alumni

* Heidi Mendoza, Undersecretary General for the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services, former Commissioner of the Commission on Audit of the Philippines
* Antonio "Sonny" Trillanes IV, former Philippine Senator (2007-2019)
* Ralph Recto, incumbent Representative of the 6th District of Batangas in the House of Representatives of the Philippines, former Philippine Senator (2001-2007, 2010–2022)
* Ramon Paje, former Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources (2010-2016)
* Benjamin Diokno, incumbent Secretary of Finance, 5th Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (2019-2022), former Secretary of Budget and Management (1998-2001, 2016–2019)
* Mike Defensor, former Anakalusugan Partylist Representative in the House of Representatives of the Philippines (2019-2022)
* Herbert Bautista, former mayor of Quezon City (2010-2019)
* Leonor Briones, former Secretary of Education (2016-2022)
* Jejomar "Junjun" Binay Jr., former mayor of Makati (2010-2015)
* Prospero De Vera III, incumbent Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
* Alfred Vargas, former Representative of the 5th District of Quezon City in the House of Representatives of the Philippines (2013-2022)
* Francisco Nemenzo Jr., political scientist and 18th President of the University of the Philippines