On behalf of the University of the Philippines System, I am honored to extend cordial greetings and congratulations to Fr.
Florante S_ Camacho, S.V.D. on the occasion of his recent assump- tion to the presidency of the Divine Word University of Tacloban. I hasten to join the entire education community of the Philippines in wishing the new President all the best in not only maintaining solid contributions of the Divine Word University to the education of our youth but in charting as well new paths of involvement towards the progress of the Filipino people.
ISgd.J ERNESTO G. TABUJARA Officer-in-ChBrge
The Class of 1987 deserves our wholehearted congratulations for passing through some of the most assuredly rigorous profession- al programs in the University. The engineering programs are tough'
~bstaclecourses for minds training for precision and discipline, the tapacity to marshal facts for analysis and conceptualization, and the ability to learn from leapfrogging advances of science and techno- logy. As your elder in the profession, however, allow me to give you one more important lesson. You have learned as engineers how to learn. That is vital in a profession as dynamic as ours. Always leave your minds open because the frontiers of knowledge are being pushed outwards each day.
ISgd.1 ERNESTO G. TABUJARA Officer-in-Charge
I send my special greetings to the UP Junior Finance Associa- tion on the occasion of its premiering the movie, "Outrageous For- tune." This fund-raising project reaffirms the organization's commit- ment to continue its scholarship as well as career management pro- grams. These initiatives typify the drive of the JFA'ers and under- lines the fact that they have collectively been acclaimed as one of the most outstanding organizations on campus. The UP Junior Finance Association, indeed, serves well as model for their peers.
16gd.l ERNESTO G. TABUJARA Officer-in-Charge
I send to the UP Industrial Engineering Club my fervent wishes for the success of its special screening of "Beverly Hills Cop ll."
This fund-raising activity is the means to several desirable ends. The proceeds will benefit the association's foster community of about 300 families in Ideal, Barangay Commonwealth, as well as launch its yearly program of academic and civic-oriented projects.
To the patrons and guests of this premiere, I am pleased towet- come you all.
ISgd.J ERNESTO G. TABUJARA Officer-in-Charge
I am delighted to send warmest felicitations to the UP Concert Chorus on the occasion of its 25th Anniversary.
The UP Concert Chorus, for a quarter of a century now, has been a luminous fixture on the University's cultural scene.It has ex- pressed in song and dance, the University's awe, appreciation and nurturance of the rich culture Filipinos are heirs to. While the UP Concert Chorus' excellence has brought it international renown, the most important thing is that it has contributed towards making our artistic and cultural legacythe source of pride that it should be.
ISgd.l ERNESTO G. TABUJARA Officer-in-Charge
In all likelihood, the University of the Philippines means diffe- rent things for each of you seperatelv. All are going through the same road in a sense, but the twists and turns influence differently the stretches ahead for each. Yet, all allowances for the individuality of human experience aside, I would like to think that there is one thing that the University clearly stands for among all of you. It stands for the TRUTH- its value, its liberating power and its place in the human experience. Or to be more precise, it is in the search for the truth, in all aspects of our existence, that the University gets its peculiar spirit. And the greatest gift that the Unlversitv can give to you is the sharing of this spirit.
Good luckl
ISgd.J ERNESTO G. TABUJARA Officer-in-Charge
Warm greetings and congratulations to the UP IBALON on its twelfth anniversary of service to the UP students from the Bicol region. Itspeaks well of the quality of the leadership, the unity and dedication of the members for the organization to have existed this long.
It is commendable that UP students from Bicot have organized themselves to provide camaraderie and mutual support among its members, and to promote Bicol culture. These efforts redound to the enrichment of our national life and culture.
Equally commendable are activities intended to bring to the Bicol youth some of the finest ideals of the University - academic excellence and service to the nation.
At a time when the Blcol region is being torn apart by violent conflict, it is heartening to know that our students are contributing to the peaceful development and intellectual growth of the youth of Bicol.
Godspeed and may you persist in your commitments.
ISgd.l JOSE V. ABU EVA President
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Warmest greetings to the UP School of Allied Medical Pro- fessions alumni, faculty, students and friends gathered in this Silver Jubilee celebration. It is a great pleasure to join a reunion of profes- sional associates and friends dedicated to the service of our fellow- men.
Of great significance tonight is the launching of the Silver Jubi- lee Development Fund Campaign by the UP SAMP Foundation.
This endeavor is the concrete manifestation of your commitment to increase and upgrade the ranks of dedicated health workers in this country, in response to one of the most pressing needs of our peo- ple.
The University fully appreciates this effort and is always sup- portive of undertakingsdirected toward the further development of knowledge and skills in health care which are indispensable to the wellbeing of our people.
May your campaign reap all the success it richly deserves.
ISgd.l JOSE V. ABU EVA President
Teatrong Mulat Ng Pitiplnas. one of the official performing troupes under the U.P. President's Committee on Culture& the Arts has been called the Premier Children's Theater and Puppetry Troupe in the country today. Teatrong Mulat has earned this distinction out of sheer hard work and dedication to a very challenging art.
Iwish to congratulate the young troupers and its playwright- director, Professor Amelia Lapefia-Bonifacio.on their 10th anniver- sary. May it continue in excellence for succeeding decades.
ISgd.1 JOSE V. ABUEVA President
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SPEECHESas faculty members and researchers are or should become leaders in their own fields.
Whatever we may be doing, the vision enjoins all of us to heJp break the status quo which is a vicious circle of stagnation and dete- rioration for most Filipinos, and to replace it with a benign spiral of participation, progress, and social justice for all our citizens. In other words, all of us in U.P. m":Jst help not only our students but also as many others of our countrymen as possible to transform our nation and society in a peaceful and non-violent social revolution, which has yet to begin. This is the other side of the political revo- lution that began in February 1986 and is far from complete.
To say all this may sound too visionary, if not quixotic, to some of you, butI can assure you that the vision I hold up to you today is no mere flight of the imagination nor empty rhetoric. It is imperative and it is realizable. Moreover, it isentirely consistent with the aims and ideals of the new Constitution that we ratified barely three months ago.
Let me tell you why the vision 'ISimperative. Each one of us here can draw up a list of ten or more crucialproblems that beset our country. I shall now give you my own Ilstof problems that singly and altogether amount to nothing less than a series of na- tional crises. (I mean crises in the plural form! )Joffer the list to' you because, in my humble view, they present the Filipino nation and the University of the Philippines with the tremendouschallenq and responslbrltv that have evoked the visionI speakof today.
Problems and Crises
Time does not allow a vivid portrayal of the problems and the crises, so I leave it to your knowledge and insight, and your imagi- nation and empathy, to color and flavor my terse, clinical statement of them,
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LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP FOR SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION:
A VISION FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES' By JOSE V. ABUEVA
The Vision
Learning for social transformation. Leadership for social trans- formation. This is the vision of the University of the Philippines asa community of scholars that I shall humbly propose if, by the initia- tive of the U.P. Academic Community, by the choice of the ap- pointing authorities. and by the grace of Almighty God, J am given the greatest challenge and responsibility of my career-the presiden- cy of U.P.
As I speak of this vision for the years just ahead of us, actually commencing on the first of June 1987, it is good to be reminded that:
The future is not a place we are going to but a place weare making.
Not a path to be found but made.
And the activity changes both the maker and the destination.
What I propose then is that, together, we transform the Univer- sity of the Philippines as a place, a path, and a destination. Necessa- rily, we must transform ourselves as a community of scholars-as faculty, as researchers, as students, as administrators. as alumni, and as citizens of the Republic. More than ever, U.P. must lead the nation as an institution of higher leaminq. We must deliberately help our students to prepare themselves for positions of Ieadershtp, even ..Delivered at the Symposium/dialogue on the V.P. Presidency, secuttv Center Conference Hall, U'P, Diliman Cemous. Quezon
~itY.Philippines.28April 1987.
1. A weak sense of national identity, unity, and purpose:
2. Widespread poverty and injustice, insecurity and power- lessness, cynicism and alienation (hunger, malnutrition, diseases, and poor living conditions that are linked to povertyand injustice .. .}:
3. Lawlessness.violence, and rebell ion;
4. A rapidly rising population, now 55 million, low pro- ductivity and external competitiveness. unemployment and underemployment, and growing landlessness;
5. Catastrophic consequences of the waste and depletion of natural resources and destruction of the environment 6. Inequities and tensions in the relations among socia classes and between the majority and the minority ethno-cultural communities, as well as inter-regional and rural-urban disparities;
7. Increasing problems confronting the family, households, children, the youth, women, and the aged;
B. Unresponsiveness and inadequacies of governmental and social institutions and services, and rampant graft and corruption in many places. public and private;
9. Shortcomings of education, learning, and ccrrtrnunlca- tton. and the underdevelopment of science and techno- logy; and
10. Internal and external dependency and domination, the obstruction of self-determination and impairment of sovereignty in the political. economic, and cultural spheres.
Unfortunately, these problems are far from isolated. They in- teract with each other directly or indirectly. horizontally and ver- tically, from the past to the present and the future. And unless our political, economic, and social systems and institutions are re- structured and transformed, they will continue to reproduce and ag- gravate both the problems and the existing relations in our society.
The 1987 Constitution mandates that certain basic changes be made.Itspeaks of building a just and humane society and of estab- lishing a government that will help bring about "the blessings of
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independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace." This Constitu- tion spells out the national goals and ideals as well as the national agenda that can guide the University of the Philippines as it pursues its own institutional goals and ideals, and carries out its various programs. The University must take the new Constitution seriously for it is the most authoritative statement of the national purpose and direction now and in the coming years.
Leadership in U.P.
Let me be clear about my understanding of leadership and learning. In a community of scholars {teachers, researchers, and stu- dents), leadership must be exercised in a manner that emphasizes collegiality among peers or equals, learning from each other, respecting each other's viewpoints and knowledge, working as a team, and extending such learning and cooperation in human net- works of knowledge and understanding within and beyond our autonomous and regional campuses. Let me stress that leadership and learning certainly include the students of U.P. whom Iregard as young citizens and scholars in their own right and potential leaders of our society. I shall elaborate on my understanding of learning a little later.
At the moment,Ido not pretend to know enough of the par- iculatittes concerning the faculty, the researchers, the students, the administration, and the alumni, or those conditions, structures, and practices that need improvementoroverhaul. Inageneral way, of course I do, because I have tried to remain in touch with many of you. Despite the visible progress in various spheres, objectivity and realism impel me to recognize that a number of you speak of a decline in the academic quality of U.P., a degree of demoralization, a tack of commitment to one's work on the part of some faculty, and deterioration of physical facilities.
To those of you who do not know me personally, let me say that I have an open mind and an open heart.I shall be a full-time President and an accessible one. In regard to the needs and problems of U.P. and your own, I know how to listen and observe, and to consult whoever may be concerned.Iam patient and respectful and appreciative. I can learn fairly fast. AndItrust you would be willing to discuss problems and ideas and give advice based on your consi- dered judgment and personal and professional experience. There are many among you whom I know, admire, and respect. There are many more whom I would like to know and consult as colleagues andpeers.
Five Themes as Unifying Concerns
However, as one who seeks the U.P. presidency, I feel it is my obligation to share with you not only a vision for the University but also what we as colleagues, peers and partners in a common en- deavor can do to fulfill that vision.
With respect to the problems I have enumerated, I have a suq- gestion. For our common orientation, we could formulate a small number of themes that define the major areas of concern of U.P.
over the next five years or more. Under the overarching or meta- theme of "Learning and Leadership for Social Transformation" we might consider five themes that could serve to unify the work on our various campuses and in our numerous academic units and pro- Peace, security, nation-building, democratization, and em- powerment of the people;
Food, health, housing. education and leisure;
The national economy, governance, and social justice;
Life-support systems; population, resources, the environ- ment, and science and technology: and
5. Values, culture, creativity, learning and communication.
These are only suggestive themes as a basis for dicussion and reflection.
As a nation. we have iust emerged from the darkest years of
authoritarian rule, oppression and repression since we regained our independence. Through those years, and earlier on, the nation has learned much which is now embedded in our memory and enshrined in the new Constitution. We have learned that the University com- munity must be ever vigilant and must struggle whenever necessary to preserve and enhance the institutional autonomy and academic freedom of the University of the Philippines.
U.P. should be a hospitable home for different beliefs, ideas, schools of thought, ideologies, cultural traditions, and religions. It should be a stronghold of nationalism, defined not monolithically by any single group but pluralistically by whosoever wishes to address its goals and concerns. This freedom of thought, expression and inquiry are paramount in my vision of the University.
Symbol ism and remembrance are important if our past is to teach our future; I would suggest that we erect on the Oiliman cam- pus a fitting monument on which shall be inscribed the names of all Filipinos who suffered, died, or survived as political prisoners, or prisoners of conscience, in their peaceful and non-violent struggle against tyranny and authoritarian rule. U.P. should honor their struggle and their memory in scholarly studies and publications that will be useful in forging civic responsibility and a stronger sense of national identity, unity and purpose.
U.P.: The Universityof and forthe People
We should intensify our efforts to make the University of the Philippines the best university in the land, and offering the best gra- duate programs, not because other universities may be sub-standard if not mediocre, but because our faculty and students are highly motivated; because they are driven by the spirit of creativity and academic and professional excellence; because they are capable of leadership-critically minded, socially conscious, politically in- volved, and concerned with the welfare of all humanity.
The challenge and responsibility of U.P. as the premier state university loom larger each year as we realize that the totality of our faculty, students, and alumni is diminishing in proportion to the growing mass of teachers, students, and graduates in all the private and state colleges and universities combined. Statistics for 1985 show that the total U.P. enrolment of 28,136 was a mere 1.62per cent of total enrolment at the tertiary level; and theU.P.faculty numbering 2,764 was only 4.8 per cent of the total faculty in the country at the same level. This is precisely why Ibelieve that U.P.
faculty, students, and alumni must be leaders in their respective callings, and given every opportunity to learn and enhance their knowledgeand skills for leadership within and beyond their profes- sional or disciplinary training. But, again, such learning and leader- ship should be geared not only to personal success but, above all, to serving the country and contributing to its social transformation.
To these ends, and as part of the vision I am offering to you, I should also like to propose the following ideas to strengthen U.P.'s outreach, influence, and effectiveness:
1. U.P. should be a critical national forum for the informed discussion and debate of the country's problems, and the various ideas and alternatives for alleviating or resolving them. The Center for Integrative and Development Studies could be involved in this endeavor.
2. U.P. should be a catalyst to stimulate other universities and research centers by suggesting to them issues and problems of national, regional, or global significance, alternative perspectives, new concepts, additional varia- bles to be considered, new paradigms to guide thought and action, and improved methodologies;
3. U.P. should set up an appropriate early-warning system for emerging issues and problems that are not yet on the horizons of policy-makers and opinion-shapers, or are being ignored and neglected by them.
4. U.P. should be an articulate part of the nation's social conscience. In such a role, more U.P. facuttv should act as thoroughly informed and sober social critics on a num- ber of problems as, for example, those related to the five
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