by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, UP MPRO
The UP Gawad Oblation, an award given by the UP President to UP alumni and friends for “extraordinary service with or in the name of UP,” was launched and conferred on 14 individuals from government and industry in a ceremony held on February 7, 2017 at the UP Professional Schools in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
The awardees each received a medal designed by Prof. Leo Abaya.
The first Gawad UP Gawad Oblation awardees were: Florencio Abad, former Department of Budget and Management secretary, represented by his daughter, Julia Abad, former Cabinet secretary; Magdaleno Albarracin Jr., businessman; Alfonso Aliga Jr., engineer; Pia Cayetano, former senator and now Taguig representative; Francis Escudero, senator; Ignacio Gimenez, businessman; Robina Gokongwei-Pe, corporate executive; Loren Legarda, senator; Patricia Licuanan, Commission on Higher Education chair; Rogelio Singson, former Department of Public Works and Highways secretary; Hans Sy, businessman; Reynaldo Tagudando, Department of Public Works and Highways regional director; Isidro Ungab, former Davao City representative; and, Manuel Villar Jr., businessman and former senator.
In various capacities, the awardees in recent years have helped UP come up with more than the usual resources and means in order to perform a leadership role in higher education and national development. “Your initiatives have truly made a positive impact on the development of UP and have allowed us not only to make great strides but take giant leaps in our journey towards the path for greatness in the 21st century,” the UP outgoing president, Alfredo Pascual, said to the awardees.
He described the Gawad as the highest honor UP can give as expression of gratitude.
The outgoing vice president for public affairs who oversaw the award, Edna Co, said “extraordinary service” includes “exceptional teaching, research and public service, creative production, efficient public and university administration, exceptional generosity and voluntarism, and fund raising”. The awardees should have increased the institutional visibility and international recognition of UP, and have helped fulfill its mandate as national university.
Villar, speaking on behalf of the awardees, congratulated Pascual for “steering UP to new heights during his presidency” and for sharing with the awardees the dedication and passion to give back to the university and country.
“The award represents our lives coming full circle. Certainly, that’s how I feel,” Villar said. He added that it is an affirmation of UP moulding individuals into leaders.
UP alumni engineers represented by UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Benito Pacheco, Rogelio Singson, Alfonso Aliga Jr., and Magdaleno Albarracin also took the occasion to present Pascual a token of appreciation for his support of the UP Diliman College of Engineering. (Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, UP MPRO)
For more photos of the event, please click through the album here.
Source: https://www.up.edu.ph/index.php/up-launches-gawad-oblation