Thirty years ago, the Ugnayan ng Pahinungód/Oblation Corps—the University of the Philippines’ (UP) volunteer service program—was established after the media posed a question to the country’s national university: “Has UP lost its soul?”

UP’s response to this challenge can be seen in the generations of UP Pahinungód volunteers who have traveled to far-flung areas over the past decades, dedicated to helping underprivileged communities by providing quality education and other forms of service. As UP President Angelo Jimenez himself said earlier this year: “The best answer to that question is this: it was never lost.”