In line with the International Day of Older Persons and the Elderly Filipino Week, the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS), in partnership with the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS), launched “Beyond 60: A Magazine Program for the Elderly” on 1 October 2026. The program aims to promote the rights, well-being, and lifelong learning of the so-called Third Agers or people aged 60 years and above.
Aired live via the UP Open University (UPOU) YouTube channel, UPOU Networks Facebook page, and Zoom, the program serves as part of the UPOU’s Open and Distance eLearning (ODeL) for the Third Agers Program and an official flagship activity under the UNESCO Chair on Open Education and Lifelong Learning hosted by UPOU from 2026 to 2030.
The maiden broadcast began with UPOU Chancellor Joane V. Serrano’s opening remarks, in which she emphasized the importance of rethinking aging, especially given the country’s aging population.
Chancellor Serrano welcomes viewers to the maiden broadcast of Beyond 60.
“What if life beyond 60 is not simply about growing older but about continuing to grow? Growing older does not mean that learning has to stop; it doesn’t mean that participation has to end. Older persons continue to carry knowledge, experiences, stories, and wisdom that remain valuable to their families and communities,” said Serrano.
Serrano also highlighted UPOU and Beyond 60’s role in providing a meaningful learning space for the elderly through technology. As an online magazine program, Beyond 60 involved guest speakers who talked about matters concerning the welfare and growth of Third Agers.
The first guest, Atty. Germaine Trittle P. Leonin, founder and executive director of Promoting Rights and Equality for Society’s Marginalized (PRISM), Inc. and senior lecturer in the UPOU’s MS Social Work program, discussed the rights, benefits, and privileges of the elderly.
Atty. Leonin joins the program via Zoom.
Meanwhile, Dr. Araceli O. Balabagno, former dean of the University of the Philippines Manila College of Nursing and adjunct faculty of the UPOU’s MA Nursing program, talked about healthy aging. She was then joined by Dr. Maria Cristina Damasco-Padolina, founding chancellor of UPOU and president emeritus of Centro Escolar University, who shared insights and tips about reinventing oneself as a Third Ager.
As a public service initiative of FICS, the maiden broadcast was hosted and led by FICS faculty members Prof. Melinda dP. Bandalaria, Ph.D., holder of the UNESCO Chair on Open Education and Lifelong Learning, and Asst. Prof. Raz de la Torre, who lent his expertise as a professional storyteller in film and television by concurrently serving as the program’s director.
Dr. Balabagno and Dr. Padolina discuss the different facets of aging, together with the Beyond 60 hosts, Prof. Bandalaria and Asst. Prof. de la Torre.
The live talk show, which was the first of its kind in UPOU, was also made possible through the collaboration of the FICS Public Service Committee led by Dr. Bandalaria, FICS faculty and staff members, together with FMDS headed by Dean Finaflor F. Taylan, DProfSt, and designated point person, Asst. Prof. Regine Karla Bagalanon, and the UPOU Center for Open and Digital Teaching and Learning (CODTL) Educational Media Production (EMP) unit.
“Beyond 60: A Magazine Program for the Elderly” is only the beginning of a series of programs to be launched by FICS and UPOU for the Third Agers, demonstrating the University’s commitment to promoting meaningful lifelong learning for all regardless of age.
Written by: Jian Martin Tenorio
Edited by: Asst. Prof. Shaira F. Tanay