Univ East-Alumni

Oath-taking of UE Alumni Association, Inc. Officers.

The officers and members of the UE Alumni Association, Inc. (UEAAI) convey their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family of Prof. Michael Martires. His untimely demise brought sorrow to all of his colleagues in the Association as he is one of a kind; an amiable, jolly, and good natured fellow who will be truly missed.

May eternal repose be granted unto his soul and let perpetual light shine upon him. Amen.

His remains lie at Nathaniel Chapel, Loyola Memorial Chapels and Crematorium, Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City.

Tariff Commission’s Job Opportunities!

University of the East Alumni Association Inc. Invites you to the 75th UE Alumni Grand Reunion ✨

UEAAI SHINING WITH EXCELLENCE 💎

October 13,2023| Friday
5pm |Century Park Hotel Manila

Ticket Rates

PHP 1,800.00
Early Bird until September 30,2023

PHP 2,000.00
Regular Price from October 1-13,2023

For Tickets and Reservations Please contact the Alumni Office 09159072967 or 02-8735-5471 to 82 Loc 310

Register now !

https://uealumni.org/uealumni-grandreunion-registration/

University of the East Alumni Association Inc. Invites you to the 75th UE Alumni Grand Reunion

UEAAI SHINING WITH EXCELLENCE 💎

October 13,2023| Friday
5pm |Century Park Hotel Manila

For Tickets and Reservations Please contact the Alumni Office 09159072967 or 02-8735-5471 to 82 Loc 310

Register now !

https://uealumni.org/uealumni-grandreunion-registration/

UE Congratulates Former Officials and Graduates Among PRC Board of Accountancy’s Centenary Awards of Excellence!

The University of the East extends its warmest congratulations to the two former UE officials and 29 graduates of the UE College of Business Administration who are among the list of 100 Filipino certified public accountants honored by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Board of Accountancy’s Centenary Awards of Excellence, given on the occasion of 100 years of the Accountancy profession in the Philippines!

They are to be officially awarded during a formal ceremony this Friday, March 17, 2023, at the Manila Hotel.

Considered as the highlight of the centennial celebration of Philippine accountancy, the Centenary Awards of Excellence aims to recognize Filipino CPAs who have demonstrated unquestionable integrity, contributed immensely to the advancement of the accountancy profession, and participated remarkably in national development.

Leading the 31 UE-connected awardees is Dr. Francisco T. Dalupan Sr., the Founding Chairman and President of the University of the East. Awarded as well is Sec. Jaime J. Bautista, the current Department of Transportation Secretary who, prior to his government appointment, was the most recent and longtime Vice Chairman of the Board of the University, as well as a longtime Trustee of UE and the UE Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, Inc. (UERMMMCI).

They along with the 29 UE graduates among the 100 awardees are also seen in a semi-full page, red-and-white print ad that is out on page A9 of the main section of today's issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The said 29 graduates, are listed below, with mentions of their respective UE degrees and years of graduation, and top accountancy-related positions and companies and/or current or former UE titles, and where applicable, Top 20 CPA licensure exam rank and/or inclusion among UE's Most Outstanding Alumni in September 2006 or September 2021:

Mr. Carlos R. Alindada, CPA, MBA (+)
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA),
Magna Cum Laude, 1954
1st Place, 1955 CPA Board Exam
Former Chairman, Accounting Standards Council
Former President, Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA)
Former Chairman-Managing Partner, SyCip Gorres Velayo & Company (SGV & Co.)
One of UE’s 60 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2006

Atty. Rosario S. Bernaldo, CPA, MBA
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA), Summa Cum Laude, 1972 & (Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), Cum Laude and Class Valedictorian, 1979
6th Place, 1972 CPA Board Exam
Founder-Managing Partner, Bernaldo Directo & Po Law Offices
Chairman & CEO, R.S. Bernaldo & Associates
President, UE Alumni Association, Inc.
One of UE’s 60 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2006

Ms. Ma. Elenita Balatbat-Cabrera, MBA, CPA, CMA (+)
BSBA, Magna Cum Laude, 1963
11th Place, 1963 CPA Board Exam
Former President-CEO, CLA Consultancy and Training Center, Inc.
One of UE’s 75 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2021

Atty. Guillermo N. Carague, CPA
BBA, 1960
Former Member, United Nations Board of Auditors
Former Secretary, Department of Budget and Management
Former Chairman, Commission on Audit
Former Partner, SGV & Co.
One of UE’s 60 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2006

Mr. Leonardo D. Cuaresma Jr., CPA, MBA
BSBA, Cum Laude, 1983
Managing Partner & COO, Punongbayan & Araullo
Outstanding CPA in Public Practice Awardee, PICPA
Lifetime Achievement Awardee, Association of CPAs in Public Practice
One of UE’s 75 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2021

Mrs. Corazon S. De La Paz-Bernardo, CPA, MBA
BBA, Magna Cum Laude, 1960
1st Place, 1960 CPA Board Exam
Former Chairperson-Senior Partner, Joaquin Cunanan & Co. [now Isla Lipana & Co./PricewaterhouseCoopers Philippines (PwC Phils.)]
Former President-CEO, Social Security System
Former President, PICPA
Member, Board of Trustees, UE and UERMMMCI
One of UE’s 60 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2006

Mr. Baltazar N. Endriga, CPA, MBA (+)
BBA, Magna Cum Laude, 1960
6th Place, 1960 CPA Board Exam
Former Senior Adviser-Managing Partner,
Endriga, Manangu & Associates, CPAs
Former Partner, SGV & Co.
Former President-Chief Academic Officer, UE
One of UE’s 75 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2021

Mr. Salvador M. Enriquez Jr., CPA (+)
BBA, 1953
Former Secretary, Department of Budget and Management
One of UE’s 60 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2006

Mrs. Antonieta Fortuna-Ibe, CPA
BBA, Magna Cum Laude, 1966
Former Commissioner, Securities and Exchange Commission
Former Chair, PRC
Former Partner, SGV & Co.
Former Chancellor, UE Manila
Chairman, UE Alumni Foundation, Inc.
One of UE’s 60 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2006

Mr. Jerry S. Isla, CPA, MBA (+)
BBA, 1969
Former Chairman-Senior Partner, Isla Lipana & Co. (PwC Phils.)
One of UE’s 60 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2006

Dean Ester F. Ledesma, CPA
Bachelor of Science in Accountancy BSA (1963), MAT 1999
Dean, School of Accountancy, St. Scholastica College, Manila
Former Dean, UE College of Business Administration-Manila

Mr. Jeffrey C. Lim, CPA
BSBA 1981
Executive Director and President, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. and SM Development Corporation

Mr. Roque A. Lim, CPA
BBA, Cum Laude, 1970
Former Executive Vice President and Controller, SM Retail Inc.

Ms. Tomasa H. Lipana, CPA
BSBA, Cum Laude, 1969
18th Place, 1969 CPA Board Exam
Former Chairman-Senior Partner, Isla Lipana & Co. (PwC Philippines)
Lead Independent Director, SM Investments Corp.
One of UE’s 75 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2021

Ms. Judith V. Lopez, CPA
BSBA, Cum Laude, 1978
20th Place, 1978 CPA Board Exam
Former Chairman-Senior Partner, Isla Lipana & Co. (PwC Philippines)
One of UE’s 75 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2021

Mr. Roberto G. Manabat, CPA
BBA, Magna Cum Laude, 1968
6th Place, 1968 CPA Board Exam
Chairman Emeritus, KPMG R. G. Manabat & Co.
Independent Director, UnionBank and National Reinsurance Corp. of the Philippines
Former Partner, SGV & Co.
One of UE’s 75 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2021

Mr. Mario T. Mananghaya, CPA
BBA, 1960
Chairman and Managing Partner, Laya Mananghaya & Co. CPAs (a KPMG International member firm)
Former Partner, SGV & Co.

Atty. Eugene T. Mateo, CPA
BBA, Cum Laude, 1968; LL.B., 1980
Former President TVI Resource Development Inc.
Former Chairman, PRC Board of Accountancy
Vice Chairman, UE Alumni Foundation, Inc.
One of UE’s 75 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2021

Mr. Gregorio S. Navarro, CPA (+)
BSBA, 1975
2nd Place, 1976 CPA Board Exam
Former Managing Partner-Chief Operating Officer, Punongbayan, Araullo & Company, CPAs (a Grant Thornton International member firm)

Mr. Rizalino S. Navarro, CPA, MBA (+)
BBA, Cum Laude, 1958
2nd Place, 1959 CPA Board Exam
Former Chairman, Rizal Banking Corporation
Former Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry
Former Chairman-Managing Partner, SGV & Co.
One of UE’s 60 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2006

Atty. Cirilo P. Noel, CPA
BSBA, 1977
Chairman, Palm Concepcion Power Corp.and Juxtapose Ergo Consultus, Inc.
Former Chairman-Managing Partner, SGV & Co.
One of UE’s 75 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2021

Dr. Erlinda C. Pefianco, CPA (+)
BBA, Cum Laude, 1963
Former President-Trustee, Antipolo Institute of Technology (AiTECH)
Former Secretary, Department of Education, Culture and Sports
One of UE’s 60 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2006

Dr. Hermogenes P. Pobre, CPA, MNSA, Ph.D.
BBA, 1952; LL.B., 1957
Former Chairman, PRC
Former General Manager & Member, Board of Directors, The Manila Hotel
One of UE’s 60 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2006

Mrs. Alicia Llamado-Reyes, CPA, MBA (+)
BBA, Summa Cum Laude, 1956
1st Place, 1957 CPA Board Exam
Former Chair, Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corp.
One of UE’s 60 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2006

Mr. Lucito L. Sioson, CPA (+)
BBA, 1958
5th Place, 1959 CPA Board Exam
Former Managing Partner for Finance, Joaquin Cunanan & Co.
Independent Director, Citystate Savings Bank
One of UE’s 60 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2006

Mr. Wilson P. Tan, CPA
BSBA major in Accounting, Summa Cum Laude, 1987
12th Place, 1987 CPA Board Exam
Chairman-Managing Partner, SGV & Co.
One of UE’s 75 Most Outstanding Alumni, 2021

Mr. Artemio R. Tulio, CPA (+)
BBA, 1960

Ms. Ma. Violeta V. Vicente, CPA (+)
BBA, Magna Cum Laude, 1952
Former Dean, DLSU College of Business and Economics
Former Vice Chairman, Board of Accountancy, PRC

Mr. Eduardo M. Villanueva, CPA (+)
BBA, 1948
Former President, Confederation of Asian and Pacific Accountants

These stellar UE graduates are among the numerous of UE alumni-accountants over the past 76 years all over the country and the world who have become esteemed leaders, inspiring topnotchers, and accomplished champions in the accounting profession.

Congratulations, Warriors Accountants of Excellence!

Calling all Alumni Warriors across the globe!

You are cordially invited to join this once in a lifetime event of togetherness, camaraderie and fun! Let’s go out, reconnect globally to our fellow alumni and enjoy while we can!!!

Surely, happiness rests in the quality of how, who we spend and bond with our tomorrow! May one of your tomorrow’s be spent in this kind of alumni event!

We really look forward to see you all!
For more details, pls. click this link: https://uealumni.org/2022/10/23/global-reunion/

Avail of the event’s early bird promo!!!

A Big Warrior Thank You, UE President and CAO Ester Albano Garcia!

A grateful University of the East community bids Dr. Ester Albano Garcia farewell as she steps down as UE’s President and Chief Academic Officer, with December 31, 2022, as her last day in office.

President Garcia was appointed as UE’s 11th President effective January 2006, and was formally installed in an Investiture on March 12, 2007, at the UE Theatre. She has since been a member of the Board of Trustees of UE and the UE Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, Inc., and in 2018, was appointed as UERMMMCI’s President and Chief Academic Officer as well. (She will remain as UERM's President-CAO in the meantime.)

During Dr. Garcia’s UE presidency, the University reached key milestones in its 76-year history as an institution. Foremost of these was in UE Manila, and later on UE Caloocan, being granted the Autonomous Status by the Commission on Higher Education starting in 2009 and in 2019, respectively. This is in recognition of UE’s exemplary performance in the three functions of higher education institutions: instruction, research, and extension. Furthermore, it is in recognition of the outstanding performance of UE graduates, which shows the University’s commitment to quality, excellence and global competitiveness.

Along the way, the UE College of Computer Studies and Systems was officially designated as a CHED-certified Center of Excellence in IT Education in February 2016.

Moreover, it was under the term of President Garcia that the University began to adapt to the current K to 12 curriculum, ensuring that the University will offer quality education from Kindergarten to Elementary to Junior High School to Senior High School as it does tertiary and graduate education.

UE infrastructure likewise happened to grow leaps and bounds during President Garcia’s term, including the successive completions and inaugurations of UE Manila's UE-Tan Yan Kee Garden and the Dr. Lucio C. Tan Building-UE Manila Annex, and the Dr. Lucio C. Tan Building in UE Caloocan. Her stint also saw the groundbreaking of the now nearly complete Lualhati Building in UE Manila and of the future UE Laguna campus. Her time in office also saw the expansion of the Tan Yan Kee Academic Building in UE Caloocan, as well as the refurbishing of the Former Dentistry Building in UE Manila.

A chemist by profession, UE President Garcia earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry degree, Cum Laude, from the University of the Philippines in 1963—the same year that she topped the Philippine Board of Chemistry licensure examination. She went on to become a faculty member and eventually Chair of the UP Department of Chemistry from 1971 to 1973, and 1977 to 1979. She later on served as Vice Dean of the UP Division of Natural Science and Mathematics in 1979, and rose to become the UP Diliman Vice Chancellor in 1990, and eventually Vice President of the entire UP System in 1991.

She became a research aide at the International Rice Research Institute for a while before pursuing her doctorate degree at the Ohio State University. In 1969, she obtained her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, after which she worked for one year as a post-doctoral fellow at the ICN Nucleic Acid Research Institute in Irvine, California.

As a researcher, President Garcia has published 20 scientific papers in peer-reviewed national and international journals, and is the author or co-author of more than 120 papers on issues related to science, education, technology, environment, and gender. She was also a member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Congressional Commission for Science, Technology and Engineering.

President Garcia was appointed as Commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education in 1994, and eventually as CHEd Chairman from 1999 to 2003.

She is a recipient of the Outstanding Professional of the Year in Chemistry Award of the Professional Regulation Commission in 1996, an Achievement Award in Chemistry from the National Research Council of the Philippines, and the Achievement Award in Chemical Education from the Philippine Federation of Chemical Societies.

Among Dr. Garcia's more recent awards was in being inducted to the Philippine American Academy of Science and Engineering Hall of Honor at PAASE’s 38th Annual Meeting and Symposium in Tucson, Arizona, USA, on April 6, 2018. UE's 11th President is also one of the 14 individual recipients of the Manuel L. Quezon Gawad Parangal Award on October 12, 2018, at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Ortigas Center, Quezon City. The award is handed out by the Quezon City Government to outstanding Quezon City residents and institutions that have made significant contributions to the city and the nation.

On September 17, 2022, she was recognized as the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities’ Person of the Year, at the Sheraton Manila Hotel in Pasay City, on the occasion of PACU’s 90th Anniversary. The PACU Person of the Year Award is the highest distinction that the organization bestows upon a Filipino citizen who has displayed outstanding and distinguished service in the field of education. So elusive is this honor that it is not bestowed annually.

While she may be retired as UE’s President and CAO, Dr. Garcia will continue to sit as a member of UE’s and UERMMMCI's Board of Trustees and will continue to be UERM President and Chief Academic Officer.

Current UE Caloocan Chancellor Zosimo M. Battad is set to take over as UE’s 12th President and Chief Academic Officer effective January 1, 2023.

From a grateful and appreciative red-and-white Warrior Community and beyond, thank you for all the work and feats for the University of the East, Dr. Ester Albano Garcia!

[2022 photo of President Garcia by Lyric Studio]

DALAWANG ARAW NA LANG !❤️✨
Tara na sa isang maLualhating pagkikita !

Get a chance to win MacBook Pro , Ipad Air and other consolation prizes!

74th University of the East Alumni Homecoming

December 10,2022

4PM Viewing of Exhibit 5th Floor of Tan Yan Kee Academic Building of UE Caloocan

5:30 PM Homecoming 11th Floor of Tan Yan Kee Academic Building of UE Caloocan

You may participate onsite at UE Caloocan or online via zoom

Register now thru this link: https://uealumni.org/ueaai-homecoming-registration/

Enjoined to take part as well are past and present UE officers, faculty members and staffers, along with this year's jubilarian alumni-awardee batches, namely the members of the following UE batches:

1952, Platinum Jubilarians (70 yrs.);
1957, Blue Sapphire Jubilarians (65 yrs.);
1962, Diamond Jubilarians (60 yrs.);
1967, Emerald Jubilarians (55 yrs.);
1972, Gold Jubilarians (50 yrs.);
1977: Sapphire Jubilarians (45 yrs.);
1982, Ruby Jubilarians (40 yrs.);
1987, Coral Jubilarians (35 yrs.);
1992, Pearl Jubilarians (30 yrs.); and
1997, Silver Jubilarians (25 yrs.).

For inquiries, please email or contact 09159072967 (Camille) or 09392853399 (Josie) or +632-8735-5471 local 310 or 8735-8557 (during office hours on non-holiday Mondays to Fridays)

Thank you and see you there, UE Alumni!

Sampung Araw nalang ❤️✨
Tara na sa isang maLualhating pagkikita !

Get a chance to win MacBook Pro , Ipad Air and other consolation prizes!

74th University of the East Alumni Homecoming

December 10,2022

4PM Viewing of Exhibit 5th Floor of Tan Yan Kee Academic Building of UE Caloocan

5:30 PM Homecoming 11th Floor of Tan Yan Kee Academic Building of UE Caloocan

You may participate onsite at UE Caloocan or online via zoom

Register now thru this link: https://uealumni.org/ueaai-homecoming-registration/

Enjoined to take part as well are past and present UE officers, faculty members and staffers, along with this year's jubilarian alumni-awardee batches, namely the members of the following UE batches:

1952, Platinum Jubilarians (70 yrs.);
1957, Blue Sapphire Jubilarians (65 yrs.);
1962, Diamond Jubilarians (60 yrs.);
1967, Emerald Jubilarians (55 yrs.);
1972, Gold Jubilarians (50 yrs.);
1977: Sapphire Jubilarians (45 yrs.);
1982, Ruby Jubilarians (40 yrs.);
1987, Coral Jubilarians (35 yrs.);
1992, Pearl Jubilarians (30 yrs.); and
1997, Silver Jubilarians (25 yrs.).

For inquiries, please email or contact 09159072967 (Camille) or 09392853399 (Josie) or +632-8735-5471 local 310 or 8735-8557 (during office hours on non-holiday Mondays to Fridays)

Thank you and see you there, UE Alumni!

Tara na sa isang maLualhating pagkikita !

Get a chance to win MacBook Pro , Ipad Air and other consolation prizes!

74th University of the East Alumni Homecoming

December 10,2022

4PM Viewing of Exhibit 5th Floor of Tan Yan Kee Academic Building of UE Caloocan

5:30 PM Homecoming 11th Floor of Tan Yan Kee Academic Building of UE Caloocan

You may participate onsite at UE Caloocan or online via zoom

Register now thru this link: https://uealumni.org/ueaai-homecoming-registration/

Enjoined to take part as well are past and present UE officers, faculty members and staffers, along with this year's jubilarian alumni-awardee batches, namely the members of the following UE batches:

1952, Platinum Jubilarians (70 yrs.);
1957, Blue Sapphire Jubilarians (65 yrs.);
1962, Diamond Jubilarians (60 yrs.);
1967, Emerald Jubilarians (55 yrs.);
1972, Gold Jubilarians (50 yrs.);
1977: Sapphire Jubilarians (45 yrs.);
1982, Ruby Jubilarians (40 yrs.);
1987, Coral Jubilarians (35 yrs.);
1992, Pearl Jubilarians (30 yrs.); and
1997, Silver Jubilarians (25 yrs.).

For inquiries, please email or contact 09159072967 (Camille) or 09392853399 (Josie) or +632-8735-5471 local 310 or 8735-8557 (during office hours on non-holiday Mondays to Fridays)

Thank you and see you there, UE Alumni!

Tara na sa isang maLualhating pagkikita!

74th University of the East Alumni Homecoming
December 10, 2022

Register now thru this link : https://uealumni.org/ueaai-homecoming-registration/

Topnotcher Leads UE's New Crop of CPAs!

Congratulations to the 43 UE College of Business Administration (CBA)-Manila and -Caloocan graduates who passed the October 2022 Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination (CPALE) administered by the Professional Regulation Commission last October 14 to 16, 2022!

Leading the new UE-educated CPAs is the University's newest topnotcher, Mr. Emerson Macaraig Peralta, who earned 3rd Place with an exam average of 89.50%!

Mr. Peralta graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, Magna Cum Laude, from the UE College of Business Administration-Manila, at the University’s first virtual Yearend Commencement Rites on November 21, 2020.

As a UE student, Mr. Peralta was a UE Accounting Honors Program Batch 1984 Scholar, a University President Scholar, a University Scholar, and a College Scholar at various points of his college life.

The UE Colleges of Business Administration-Manila and -Caloocan both performed well in the recent board exam, with UE CBA Manila getting a passing percentage of 32.22% (29 new CPAs out of 90 examinees) and UE CBA Caloocan attaining a 35.90% passing percentage (14 new CPAs out of 39 examinees). These were against the national passing percentage of just 25.84% (1,722 new CPAs out of 6,663 examinees nationwide).

Congratulations to the UE Colleges of Business Administration-Manila and -Caloocan, their respective faculty members and staffers, our new Warrior CPA Topnotcher, and to our new Warrior CPAs!

Save the Date: UE Alumni Homecoming 2022 Set for December 10!

Graduates and former students of the University of the East’s Manila, Caloocan and Quezon City campuses—across all educational year levels and college and graduate degree programs and across all generations and batches—are invited to be part of the 74th UE Alumni Homecoming, which will be held on December 10, 2022, a Saturday, 5 p.m. onwards, in UE Caloocan!

Organized by the UE Alumni Association, Inc. (UEAAI) to be held specifically at the Conference Hall on the 11th Floor of the Tan Yan Kee Academic Building of the University of the East-Caloocan (105 Samson Road, Barangay 80, Caloocan City), this latest UE Alumni Homecoming is calling on all those who had in UE Manila, UE Caloocan and/or the UE Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center Inc. (UEAAI) to take part in nostalgic, red-and-white fun in this latest grand get-together!

Enjoined to take part as well are past and present UE officers, faculty members and staffers, along with this year's jubilarian alumni-awardee batches, namely the members of the following UE batches: 1952, Platinum Jubilarians (70 yrs.); 1957, Blue Sapphire Jubilarians (65 yrs.); 1962, Diamond Jubilarians (60 yrs.); 1967, Emerald Jubilarians (55 yrs.); 1972, Gold Jubilarians (50 yrs.); 1977: Sapphire Jubilarians (45 yrs.); 1982, Ruby Jubilarians (40 yrs.); 1987, Coral Jubilarians (35 yrs.); 1992, Pearl Jubilarians (30 yrs.); and 1997, Silver Jubilarians (25 yrs.).

Registration details will be made available soon, with the event’s proceeds due to go to the UEAAI’s various outreach projects.

For inquiries, please email or contact 09159072967 (Camille) or 09392853399 (Josie) or +632-8735-5471 local 310 or 8735-8557 (during office hours on non-holiday Mondays to Fridays).

Thank you and see you there, UE Alumni!

UE President Honored as PACU’s Person of the Year for 2022!

UE’s 11th President and Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Ester Albano Garcia, has been recognized by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU) as its Person of the Year for 2022!

President Garcia was awarded on Saturday, September 17, 2022, at the Sheraton Manila Hotel in Pasay City, on the occasion of PACU’s 90th Anniversary.

The PACU Person of the Year Award is the highest distinction that the organization bestows upon a Filipino citizen who has displayed outstanding and distinguished service in the field of education. So elusive is this honor that it is not bestowed annually.

A chemist by profession, UE President Garcia earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry degree, Cum Laude, from the University of the Philippines in 1963, the same year that she topped the Philippine Board of Chemistry licensure examination. She went on to become a faculty member and eventually Chair of the UP Department of Chemistry from 1971 to 1973, and 1977 to 1979. She later on served as Vice Dean of the UP Division of Natural Science and Mathematics in 1979, and rose to become the UP Diliman Vice Chancellor in 1990, and eventually Vice President of the entire UP System in 1991.

She became a research aide at the International Rice Research Institute for a while before pursuing her doctorate degree at the Ohio State University. In 1969, she obtained her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, after which she worked for one year as a post-doctoral fellow at the ICN Nucleic Acid Research Institute in Irvine, California.

As a researcher, President Garcia has published 20 scientific papers in peer-reviewed national and international journals, and is the author or co-author of more than 120 papers on issues related to science, education, technology, environment and gender. She was also a member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Congressional Commission for Science, Technology and Engineering.

President Garcia was appointed as Commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education in 1994, and eventually as CHEd Chairman from 1999 to 2003.

She has been UE President-CAO since 2006, and has since been a member of the Board of Trustees of UE and the UE Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center Inc., and in 2018, was appointed as UERMMMCI’s President and Chief Academic Officer as well.

Since 1932, PACU has given its Person of the Year award to ten persons, namely former President Jose P. Laurel in 1954; former Presidents Sergio Osmeña, Sr. and Elpidio Quirino, posthumous and joint, 1955; former Education Secretary Armand V. Fabella, 1994; Dr. Virgilio delos Santos, former Senators Sotero H. Laurel and Helena Z. Benitez, 2007; Dr. Alicia S. Bustos, 2012; and Atty. Antonio Henson Abad Jr. and Dr. Teresita U. Quirino, 2017.

The criteria used in the choice of the awardee included, among others, distinguished and dedicated service to Philippine education, personal integrity and character, sympathetic understanding and support of Philippine private education, and the high esteem and regard with which the honoree is held by the members of the Association.

PACU’s Person of the Year Award is the latest in a long list of awards that President Garcia has received throughout her academic career. She is a recipient of the Outstanding Professional of the Year in Chemistry Award of the Professional Regulation Commission in 1996, an Achievement Award in Chemistry from the National Research Council of the Philippines, and the Achievement Award in Chemical Education from the Philippine Federation of Chemical Societies. Among the more recent of her awards, she was inducted to the Philippine American Academy of Science and Engineering Hall of Honor at PAASE’s 38th Annual Meeting and Symposium in Tucson, Arizona, USA, on April 6, 2018. The UE President is also one of the 14 individual recipients of the Manuel L. Quezon Gawad Parangal Award on October 12, 2018, at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Ortigas Center, Quezon City. The award is handed out by the Quezon City Government to outstanding Quezon City residents and institutions that have made significant contributions to the city and the nation.

Congratulations, Warrior President Garcia! We are very proud of you, Ma’am!

Former UE Prof Awarded as PRC’s Outstanding Professional Librarian of the Year!

The University of the East congratulates Dr. Juan C. Buenrostro Jr., a former faculty member of the UE College of Arts and Sciences-Manila, for having been chosen by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) as the 2022 Outstanding Professional of the Year in the field of Librarianship!

Per the PRC, the Outstanding Professional of the Year award, which was conferred upon Dr. Buenrostro at the latest PRC Awards Night held last July 29, is “the highest award bestowed by the Commission upon a professional as recommended by his/her peers for having amply demonstrated professional competence of the highest degree and conducted meaningfully in professional activities through professional organizations, contributed significantly to the advancement of the profession, and contributed significantly to the effective discharge of the profession’s social responsibility through meaningful contribution or participation in socio-related activities.”

Dr. Buenrostro was a faculty member of UE CAS Manila’s Department of Library and Information Science from 1991 to 2021. He also taught at UE Graduate School for more than a decade.

He had received training in library and information science in the Philippines, India, USA, and Canada. His professional experience as librarian commenced at the Asian Library of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation. His other assignments have included working for libraries for school children and academic (i.e., college or university) libraries and serving as a consultant to the Center for Human Research and Development Foundation, the Professional Librarians' Review Center and the Marikina Public Library—giving him a wide experience in the field of librarianship.

The former UE faculty member has also served as a resource speaker in seminars, workshops and conferences on various topics within the realm of librarianship, in different institutions throughout the country. In addition, he is the author of Batayang Aklat sa Librarianship, the first library science book written in Filipino, and other library and information science books including a reviewer for the librarian’s licensure examinations.

Congratulations, Dr. Buenrostro, on this momentous and huge achievement!