An Alumnus' Vision Of The UP President In 2017

MANILA: The University of the Philippines (UP) is a System of Universities in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. It should have a leader who is an excellent team captain, or a visionary who has his feet firmly planted on the ground. Did UP ever have a President like that? Yes, from the Cow College, UP Los Baños: Bienvenido Maria Gonzales.

Incumbent UP President Alfredo Pascual is retiring February next year. Not a Visionary, that one. This time, there are 10 nominees for UP President, and I have read all their "Vision Statements" after downloading in pdf from the URL given (osu.up.edu.ph). Here is the official list:

(1)     Dr Consolacion R Alaras

(2)     Prof Danilo L Concepcion

(3)     Prof Gisela P Concepcion

(4)     Prof J Prospero E De Vera III

(5)     Prof Rowena Cristina L Guevara

(6)     Dr Orlando S Mercado

(7)     Prof Benito M Pacheco

(8)     Dr Roger D Posadas

(9)     Prof Caesar A Saloma

(10) Prof Michael L Tan

The listing is very UP (unlimited pride) if I may say so as an alumnus; they have to put the titles before the names: Dr or Prof (no periods for me). In UP, a "Dr" (PhD) before a name puts that person in an intellectual pedestal; a "Prof" (Professor) in a somewhat lower rank. You deserve it, such as you do, but I don't give much importance to your UP title.

Why, if you survive UP, as I did after being kicked out (extremed), already you are Somebody. Truth to tell, in 1981, as Chief Information Officer (description, not title) of the Forest Research Institute (FORI), which is based in Los Baños but is not UP, I was offered by Director Filiberto S Pollisco a government scholarship, the allowance being not a joke, for an MS of my choice at UP Los Baños, going on to PhD. I very much deserved it. A self-taught writer and self-educated editor and photographer, as founding Editor in Chief of FORI's 3 publications, the monthly newsletter Canopy, quarterly technical journal Sylvatrop and quarterly color magazine Habitat, starting in 1975 I made FORI known and respected within the UP System, as well as nationally and internationally. My Division Chief was Pete Bueno, who gave me degrees of freedom – thank you, Pete. Ultimately, to the offer of scholarship, I said no, to no one in particular saying proudly, loudly I think, "Sino ang magtuturo sa akin? Ako ang magtuturo sa kanila!" ("Who is going to teach me? I am going to teach them!") Today, you are reading the first "Outstanding Alumnus for Creative Writing" of UP Los Baños in 2011 and still the only one. Pids Rosario nominated me – thank you, Pids.

After ranking myself, here is my ranking of the presidential nominees for UP, while ignoring those titles, as I always do.

First, I must be clear about what I understand what is Vision and what is Mission:

A Vision is a Desired Future. It must be achievable. The Vision Statement is the Dream, or The Destination, and it must be accompanied by a Mission Statement, or How To Get There.

The best Vision is stated in only a few words and is quite memorable like, I must say, "This nation shall be great again!" Sorry, I am an Ilocano, and an original aboriginal. I am a UP '65 alumnus and a very wide reader, but I don't remember a quotable UP President.

Now then:

Consolacion Alaras' Vision for UP is:
First and foremost, I will strive to maximize the potentials of UP Open University – so every leader, citizen, and community can experience the distinctive UP Education. ¶ Second, I will ensure that UP Media will lead in captivating the imagination of our Leaders, Citizens, and Communities regarding the recovery, proclamation, and institutionalization of the Filipino Civilization studied and prophesied by the Philippine National Hero Dr Jose Rizal, with his best friend Czech Patriot Dr Ferdinand Blumentritt.

Danilo Concepcion's Vision for UP is:
Redefining the Culture of the University of the Philippines: Honor and Excellence with Compassion.

Gisela Concepcion's Vision for UP is:
UP Suprastructure as "Utak at Puso para sa Bayan" (One UP for One Nation). (A Vision of the UP Community to Lead in Building a Just, Humane, Peaceful and Progressive Philippines).

She also says:
This vision paper consists of 4 pro-active visions:
Vision 1: Focusing UP's Meaning and Purpose – One UP for National Development (UP's Competence and Commitment); Vision 2: Envigorating and Flourishing UP's Suprastructure – Impact of One UP on National Development (UP's Competence, Commitment and Compassion); Vision 3: Strengthening the Foundation of UP's Suprastructure – Caring for the One UP Community (UP's Compassion); Vision 4: Strengthening UP's Support Structures – Working towards Sustainability of One UP (UP's Competence and Compassion).

J Prospero De Vera's Vision for UP is:
Reaffirming UP as the University of the People.

Cristina Guevara's Vision for UP is:
The national university that fulfills the aspirations of the Filipino people.

Orlando Mercado's Vision for UP is:
A global learning hub for exemplary leaders in public service in the Philippines and the Asean.

Benito Pacheco's Vision for UP is:
HEI leader DAPAT.

Roger Posadas' Vision for UP is:
Transforming the University of the Philippines into a Truly Great National University.

Caesar Saloma's Vision for UP is:
UP Leading by Inspired Example.

Michael Tan's Vision for UP is:
UP 2020 and Beyond: A Vision Bold and Clear.
In the occasionally turbulent seas of the academe that we navigate, we must always be guided by the intertwined principles of academic citizenship and academic freedom. These terms refer to active participation, by all constituents, in processes that move us forward, our voyages animated by openness and constant dialogue. These terms are too often preached or invoked, and so remain abstract and irrelevant. In the context of UP, they must be lived out and tested in day-to-day interactions.

Now then, as an alumnus of UP, I believe I have the right and privilege to judge the living and the dead ducks.

As I see them, the dead ducks are 3: Alaras, Gisela Concepcion (who misspelled invigorating), and Tan. All of them are unsuccessful in defining or distilling their Vision for UP in a short sentence or phrase. Concepcion's was short in the first instance (the title of her paper), but she spoiled it by restating it twice, first in a parenthetical subtitle, and next into "4 pro-active visions." Tan's "UP 2020 and Beyond: A Vision Bold and Clear" is not a Vision, if followed by a long explanation. The Visions of these 3 are not Clear, Concise, Comprehensive and Coherent. Unlike those of the other 7 nominees.

A 4th dead duck is Danilo Concepcion, because his is not proper Vision; it is in fact Mission, what UP has to do, not what UP has to be in the future by being Honorable, Excellent and Compassionate.

A 5th dead duck is Mercado, whose Vision is for UP to be the leader in teaching public service in the Philippines and the Asean. That is assuming that UP is already teaching public service throughout the System, and this alumnus knows it is not!

A 6th dead duck is Saloma, whose Vision is also Mission: "UP leading by inspired example." He was referring to UP as "a veritable source of best practices in the development and implementation of PhD programs, inclusive governance and evidence-based decision-making." Saloma is PhD-obsessed he has to put PhD first in his list?!

We now have only 4 Visionaries left. Each of De Vera, Guevara, Pacheco and Posadas has a single statement that should clearly state the Vision for the UP System.

Looking at those Vision Statements, those of the 4 nominees still standing appear to be similar, but is best stated by De Vera: "UP as the University of the People." I like that; now UP means University of the Philippines and University of the People.

But how do we arrive at the Vision at last? What is the Yellow Brick Road made of? Let me now go back to the pdf files of the nominees and see what they have in terms of Mission.

Naturally, since I say they are dead ducks, having failed to state a proper Vision, I am no longer interested in finding out the Mission of those 6 I listed above.

Which leaves us De Vera, Guevara, Pacheco and Posadas.

De Vera's Mission in support of his Vision is:
As a public institution, (UP) must work to promote and protect the interest of the Filipino people with the highest level of excellence in teaching, research, and public service.

Guevara's Mission in support of her Vision is:
(Sorry, not briefly stated. She has a long list of 10 To-Dos, and they don't look like they are mutually exclusive.)

Pacheco's Mission in support of his Vision is:
(Also too long: "The UP System must flourish with a unity in this diversity, encouraging each CU to pursue" etc.)

Posada's Mission in support of his Vision is:
(A list coming out of TRULY GREAT as acronym, too long to enumerate here. Which means, it is also another laundry list.)

Which leaves me only one choice, to consider J Prospero E De Vera III as the only nominee worthy of being the next UP President. His Vision is unbeatable as it is memorable:

University of the People.

So, how worthy is he? I don't know De Vera from Adam. I just learned that he has been appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as 1 of 4 Commissioners comprising the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), with a Chair, according to ANN (author not named, ABS-CBN News, 12 September 2016, news.abs-cbn.com). He is also currently UP Vice President for Public Affairs. He is also a co-host of ANC's #NoFilter political opinion show with veteran journalist Teddy Boy Locsin.

I'm not impressed with those credentials. What impresses me, now that I have screened off the rest of the competition, is that De Vera is the only nominee who has seen the need to pursue "the highest level of excellence in teaching, research, and public service." That's Mission. Of the 10 nominees, only he mentioned excellence in research as one of the highest goals to be achieved to make UP the University of the People. I have been a teacher, and I have worked in research, so I know teaching is necessary public service, and so is research.

Given all that, I will be very happy to learn that J Prospero De Vera III has been appointed as the next UP President! CHEd's loss will be UP's gain.

30 September 2016. Essay word count, excluding this line: 1768