By Danilo P. Padua, PhD
We have a law at the moment that stipulates an incentive of PhP100,000.00 for any person reaching one hundred years alive. I think there should also be a law providing the same incentive to any government institution, including LGUs, reaching such milestone. Private institutions in similar situation could also be accorded the same privilege. Part and parcel of that should be individual incentives to be given to existing manpower of the entity.
Right now, the practice is for concerned administrators to martial their best connections and creativity in sourcing out incentives for the deserved rewards. If the administrator falls short or sleeps on the job, the centennial anniversary will pass as if the school, agency, unit or any office was just established yesterday.
Last week, the Benguet State University became a centenarian, the oldest existing government tertiary educational institution in the Cordillera region. This singular honor for the university is really a cause for jubilant celebrations.
The centennial BSU president, Dr. Feliciano G. Calora, led the culminating week-long celebrations where the achievements of the school were highlighted together with the accomplishments of its various alumni, and its present staff complement. BSU actually became 100 years old September last year but the president tasked various committees to prepare for a year-long celebration to better give justice to the momentous event.
Dr. Calora said that “the centennial event is like closing a beautiful door and opening another door of opportunity, thus, it’s for everyone to join hands together to achieve greater glory for the university as it continues to serve its clients”
BSU Builders centennial awards were handed to the 17 distinguished heads of the school starting with Mr. James Wright in 1917 to the last 5 presidents when the school metamorphosed into a university (in chronological order: Dr. Fortunato A. Battad, Dr. Lucio B. Victor, Dr. Cipriano C. Consolacion, Dr. Rogelio D. Colting, Dr. Ben D. Ladilad).
About 35 were given distinguished alumni awards, including Dr. Marlowe Aquino, the most distinguished alumni awardee. These awards span across various fields: academics; farming; agribusiness/entrepreneurship; judiciary; public safety; local governance; international service and relations; journalism; community development; extension; indigenous knowledge, policy, culture, and music; athletics; medical research; disaster management; and others.
Staff centennial awards were also bestowed on 18 employees. Six outstanding students were likewise awarded while three outstanding student organizations who are national achievers were similarly recognized along with 4 nationally-acclaimed colleges as centers of excellence/development (College of Teacher Education, College of Agriculture, College of Home Economics and Technology) and high performing school in licensure examination(College of Nursing).
Some other awardees such as Institutional partners (USAID, Fil-Chinese Bakery Assoc. Inc, PCARRD, and PARRFI); family awards (C.T.Buasen family, F. R. Aquino family), were also given out.
Two of the alumni awardees I had an opportunity to talk to are Dr. Jerome Polonio, a 1978 BSA graduate and Engr. Domingo Bakilan who finished his Bachelor’s degree in 1976 and his PhD in 1997. Dr. Polonio had done a lot of community work not only in the Philippines but also in PNG, Hongkong and Uganda. He is currently a development consultant in Papua New Guinea who was given the LOGOHU award by the PNG government a week before he arrived for the centennial program. One of his main functions is to train newly elected members of parliament of PNG who are not well-versed in proposing laws or in legislative works. They affectionately call him Doc.
Engr. Bakilan on the other hand, is presently the provincial agriculturist of Kalinga. He was awarded for his various agricultural extension activities and in recognition of what his office had achieved nationally such as the PAGASA award from CSC and the Rice Achiever Award.
Among others, the school has already produced at least 7 SUC presidents, at least 3 presidents of private schools, countless politicians (councilors to congressmen), writers (e.g. Primitivo Mijares), and many more. The university is now mentioned in the same breath as other known SUCs throughout the Philippines mainly due to the contributions of its faculty members, researchers, and extensionists. Some of its faculty members have been elected as president or members of the board of trustees of prestigious national professional societies, as well as in regional groupings.
The university came out with a publication detailing the 100 leading technologies developed by it. A very informative and entertaining coffee table book was also published to show how the school developed through the ages.
There was really a lot to celebrate and to recognize in the university. When awards are given out, there will always be some “controversies” since we can not see all the nooks and cranies to identify the potential awardees. Or, simply that those decision makers have a different view of things.
Some of the centennial awardees from outside BSU however were puzzled why no centennial faculty awards were declared. They contend that the school is an academic institution thus, faculty members should be a major focus together with the students. If you come to think of it, an academic institution is alive primarily because of these students and faculty members. Take one group out and there is no school.
In chance talks with some potential faculty awardees, they are in unison in saying that the awards should have been given, even to the extent of deleting or adding to the list of probables as may have been necessary. If there were problems in the selection or in the criteria used, a way should have been devised, according to them, to correct whatever mistakes were done, and not to arbitrarily withold bestowing the awards to whoever were deserving. The decision was seen by them as a disincentive and not in accordance with the nature of the school as an academic institution. Awarding it another time is certainly a poor decision as it will make the award somewhat trivialized.
BSU is envisioning itself as a premier university in Asia that is why it is puzzling to note that its international linkages or achievements were not given an iota of attention in the celebration.
Whatever little confusion spawned by such little “controversies”, we congratulate the BSU administration headed by Dr. Calora and those who worked hard to make the centennial celebration, a success. Let us, in unison, enter the newly-opened door of opportunity for the next 100 years.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BENGUET STATE UNIVERSITY.**
