by KIM Quilinguing, Francis Paolo Quina, Bernice P. Varona

It was a star-studded extravaganza and a day of recognition for UP alumni who held a grand general homecoming at the Araneta Coliseum on June 21, 2008.

President Emerlinda R. Roman welcomed the alumni and lauded them for their untiring commitment to the University, especially in the celebration of its centennial.

Updating the alumni about the new UP Charter, Roman assured them of UP’s continued role as the National University. She stressed the alumni’s contribution in helping the University accomplish this role, which includes raising funds. Roman briefed the crowd on the many gatherings being held among alumni all over the world and her visits with alumni chapters in the country and in the United States. These visits have yielded huge donations and contributions to the University’s Centennial Fund Drive. “UP would not be what it is without you,” Roman said.

The Centennial Fund Drive is a project of the University and the UP Centennial Commission aimed at raising P5 billion for faculty development, maintenance and improvement of facilities, scholarship programs, and athletic training.

Directed by stage and screen icon Prof. Behn H. Cervantes of the Department of Speech Communication and Theater Arts, the homecoming was nothing short of spectacular. Former senator and broadcaster Orly Mercado and columnist Prof. Solita Collas Monsod were the program’s emcees.

Beyond the festivities, UP’s tradition of excellence, service, and leadership rang clear with the recognition of around 56 individual and family awards for outstanding alumni contributions to the Alma Mater and to the nation in various fields.

Speaking for the awardees, 2008 Most Distinguished Alumnus Chief Justice Reynato Puno, BSJ’62; LLB ’62, said that although the awardees may have received other awards, the awards given by UP mean so much more, coming from the Alma Mater and on the occasion of its centennial.

Puno also said, “I view our awards, not as personal achievements but the recognition of the UP soul and spirit in our beings. These awards are the manifestation of the spirit of the Oblation in our work.” Puno added that graduates of UP genuinely persevere in serving the nation, and that even had the alumni not received public acclaim, they “would have persevered in their work with the same passion and precision.”

Puno was recognized for his elegant and well-written decisions that greatly enriched Philippine jurisprudence, and for being the “leading constitutionalist of the Court,” a “true jurist” who wages lonely battles against conventional wisdom with his stirring dissents and insightful opinion.

In his closing remarks, Regent Ponciano H. Rivera thanked UP alumnus Jorge Araneta for letting the UPAA use the Araneta Coliseum gratis. He said that the alumni homecoming was not only “an opportunity to renew old ties,” it was also a chance for everyone to reflect on “who we were” and “what we have become.”

Special recognition
In celebration of UP’s centennial, this year’s UPAA awards had more than the usual categories.

Lifetime achievement awardees include Dr. Belinda A. Aquino, Dr. Natividad Crame-Rogers, and Justice Leonor Ines-Luciano. Dr. Aquino is a professor of Philippine studies at the University of Hawaii. She was vice president for public affairs of UP from 1989-1996, and was a faculty member at the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG). She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in English degree from UP. Dr. Crame-Rogers, who graduated from UP in 1949 with a degree in Philosophy, was lauded for her accomplishments in theater and contribution to Philippine art. She pioneered undergraduate specialization in drama and speech, theater, and the performing arts; and played lead roles. Justice Luciano was recognized for her service in the judiciary, in the legislature as a sectoral representative for women, and in civic work. She obtained her Bachelor of Law from UP in 1941.

Other awardees honored for their achievements and work in their respective fields were Jessica Soho for communication and information; Dr. Amefil M. Agbayani, Felicisima M. de los Angeles-Bautista, Dr. Cayetano C. Pomares, and Dr. Teresita V. Ramos for academic leadership; Ms. Florencia G. Casanova Dorotan, Dr. Lily Cenizal-Fojas, and Dr. Jose Antonio U. Socrates, Jr. for community empowerment/service; Engr. Jose Martin O. Aliling for responsible corporate governance; Prof. Ruperta R. Asuncion, Ms. Edita M. Carolino-Garcia, Ms. Ofelia Gelvezon-Tequi, and Dr. Edsel H. Moscoso for culture and arts; Orlando B. Vea for entrepreneurship/employment generation; Dr. Perry S. Ong and Atty. Antonio A. Oposa for environmental conservation and sustainable development; Amb. Rosario Gonzalez-Manalo for gender equality/women empowerment; Atty. Loida M. Nicolas-Lewis for global entrepreneurship; Dr. Benjamin D. Adapon, Dr. Manuel M. Dayrit, and Dr. Bernadette J. Madrid for health; Dr. Teofilo T. Bangayan, Deanna Lorenzana-Gregorio, and Juan Y. Solomon for poverty alleviation; Amb. Lilia R. Bautista, Dr. Carolina Garcia-Hernandez, and Amb. Rora H. Navarro-Tolentino for public service and good governance; Dr. Priscilla Chinte-Sanchez, Dr. Francisco C. Dimayuga, Dr. Hernani G. Golez, and Dr. Gisela Padilla-Concepcion for science and technology; and Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales, Justice Magdangal M. de Leon, and the late Justice Romeo A. Brawner for championing justice/judiciary.

The UPAA Presidential Awardee for Public Service in the international category was US Senator Judith Paulette Gutherz, while the UPAA International Alumni Achievers were Dr. Jorge G. Camara, Jose Dudley D. Diaz, and Luzviminda N. Sapin-Micabalo. The Presidential Awardees for service to the UPAA were Amb. Edgardo B. Espiritu, Danilo A. Gozo, and Regent Nelia Teodoro-Gonzalez.

Another award given was the UPAA Family Recognition for their outstanding work and support to the university. Those who received this were the Bañez-Perez, Consunji, David-Peczon, Flor, Gancayco, Kintanar, Lapus-Gozon, Lopez-Castillo, Lorenzana, Niguidula, Quiason, Tria, Valdez, and Virata families.

From the UP Newsletter