Campus of University of the Philippines Los Baños

The campus was established in 1909 on of abandoned farmland at the foot of Mount Makiling, purchased by the University of the Philippines (UP) Board of Regents to serve as the campus of the newly created UP College of Agriculture (UPCA). Students helped clear the land, and the first classes were held in tents. Practical instruction was done at plantations on campus, such as those for corn, sugar cane and tobacco. Act 2730 of the Philippine Legislature in February 1918 authorized the appropriation of for the creation of an agricultural experiment station. At the same time, funding of ₱125,000 (US$2,890) Most of the early structures were demolished during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines (1941–1945), but some still exist, including the Palma Bridge and Baker Memorial Hall (both built during Dean Bienvenido M. Gonzalez's term from 1927 to 1938). All the student residences, 23 College of Agriculture buildings, 13 student dormitories and bungalows, and 22 faculty and employee houses were destroyed during the Second World War. The School of Forestry was also devastated. Only the agricultural engineering building was left undamaged. Grants from USAID and Mutual Security Agency in the 1950s accelerated the development of the campus. The Graduate School building, the UPCA Library (now College of Arts and Sciences building), and the Women's Dormitory (now the Math Building) were built as a result. Meanwhile, grants from the United States Economic Cooperation Agency (worth US$239,552), the International Cooperation Administration (ICA) (worth US$175,000), and ICA-National Economic Council allowed the construction of the Forest Products Laboratory (claimed by Centennial Panorama: Pictorial History of UPLB to be the "largest and best equipped in the eastern hemisphere" at the time it was constructed) in 1954, the Agricultural Credit and Cooperatives Institute in 1957, and further construction of school and dormitory buildings in the School of Forestry campus in the 1960s. funded US$6.9 million for the construction of the International Rice Research Institute. Beautification projects include paving of pathways and construction of lampposts. Some students criticized the program, arguing that the funds would have been better allocated for the renovation of classrooms, laboratories, and other academic facilities. A memorandum issued by Chancellor Luis Rey I. Velasco in 2010 instructed UPLB to conserve energy to reduce operating costs. The plan calls for reduced use of electric appliances (such as air conditioners, electric stoves and ovens), car pooling, and recycling. ==Areas==

Upper campus The College of Forestry and Natural Resources, College of Public Affairs, ASEAN Center for Biodiversity, National Arts Center, Philippine High School for the Arts, the site of the National Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, and the Center for Philippine Raptors are in the upper campus. It includes the entire Makiling Forest Reserve. It is also the site of the Bureau of Plant Industry-Makiling Botanic Gardens, one of the oldest parts of the campus. The gardens are located where the tents used as classrooms were set up during the first four months of the university's history. The MFR was created in 1910 under the Bureau of Forestry. Jurisdiction over MFR was transferred to UP in 1960. The National Power Corporation acquired complete jurisdiction of the MFR in 1987 as part of the Philippines' energy development program under President Corazon Aquino. The MFR was returned to UPLB three years later under the terms of Republic Act 6967. In 2008 Representative Del De Guzman of the 2nd district of Marikina filed HB 1143, which, if passed into law, would have transferred of the MFR to the jurisdiction of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. The bill was strongly opposed by UPLB, citing possible mismanagement and deforestation of the site if placed under the BSP, among other reasons. The bill has been pending in the House Committee on Natural Resources since August 2007. Lower campus (SEARCA) The World Agroforestry Centre, and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). The Molawin River, a tributary of Laguna de Bay, runs through the campus. Several bridges, such as the Palma Bridge (named after UP President Rafael V. Palma), cross the river. A 1996 UPLB study found high concentrations of nitrates and phosphates in the river, believed to be from decaying garbage and domestic waste. There have been recent efforts to rehabilitate the river, such as planting Mussaenda and Hibiscus on its banks. Land grants UPLB has three major land grants provided by the government of the Philippines: the Laguna-Quezon Land Grant, the La Carlota Land Grant, and the Laguna Land Grant. The La Carlota Land Grant is situated in Negros Occidental, a province in the Western Visayas region. Acquired in May 1964, it houses the PCARRD-DOST La Granja Agricultural Research Center, which serves as a research center for various upland crops. The ==Buildings and landmarks==

File:Rizal Memorial Centenary Carillon.jpg|Rizal Memorial Centenary Carillon File:UPLB Student Union Building.jpg|Student Union Building File:Dioscoro L. Umali Hall.jpg|Dioscoro L. Umali Hall ==Transportation and amenities==

Public utility jeepneys are a popular means of transportation around the campus. Jeepney drivers are required to post kanan (Tagalog for "right") or kaliwa (Tagalog for "left"), in reference to their direction. Since August 2007 a new jeepney route has been in force. The new route prohibits access to the middle campus—which contains most of the university's main buildings—to promote walking and to lessen noise and air pollution inside the campus. As this part of the campus was the destination of many passengers, jeepney drivers estimated the change would result in a loss of ₱200–300 (US$5–7) The mayor of Los Baños refused to interfere. The campus is also served by the UP Los Baños railway station operated by Philippine National Railways, although currently no trains stop at the station. Numerous congregations can be found near UPLB. These include the Catholic parishes of St. Therese of the Child Jesus and San Antonio de Padua, the UCCP Church Among the Palms, and Victory Los Baños. Other amenities include banks (including LBP, Plantersbank, and PNB) and malls, such as Robinsons Town Mall Los Baños. Security is provided by the University Police Force and the Community Support Brigade in addition to the police force of the local government. Medical services are provided by the University Health Service, a 30-bed hospital with specialized facilities, such as a diabetes clinic and a neonatal intensive-care unit, in addition to its emergency and operating rooms. It is identified as a "Center of Quality" by PhilHealth. ==References==