Written by: Zein Ady Kristianna P. Advincula
Photo by: Laurence Gabriel Arellano
“In my case, I fought the good fight, I have finished the race and I kept the faith, Thank you very much” - Prof. Philipina A. Marcelo, PhD
After almost a decade of service as Dean of the UST Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Philippina A. Marcelo, PhD turned over authority to now Dean Prof. Angelo R. dela Cruz, PhD, PECE on January 26, at the Engineering Conference Hall, Fr. Roque Ruaño O.P. Building and via Zoom meetings.
An opening prayer led by UST FoE's Regent, Rev. Fr. Roberto L. Luanzon Jr., O.P., SThD, blessed the beginning of the faculty assembly. This was followed by the singing of the national anthem.
As Prof. Marcelo was called for a speech, she started saying how she believes that her days of giving speeches are over. For her, this was a bittersweet moment as she was able to welcome a new era or a new leader for the Faculty of Engineering.
Prof. Marcelo expressed her gratitude to everybody, from the reverends, support staff, the teaching staff and also the alumni who have been supporting her from 2011 until her last day as the faculty’s dean. After meeting highly respected deans, she believes that leading a department is larger than life and that when you're called to serve, then you abide.
Prof. Marcelo also stated her apologies.
“I am sorry to those who were unhappy with some decisions I made, please be assured that every decision I made as a Dean of the Faculty of Engineering has been made to your best interest, everyone’s best interest,” she stated.
Although this decision was not very apparent during her first years, she was happy to see that everyone was patient to understand that her decisions were made with the faculty’s best interest in mind. And for her words as Dean, she expressed her love for the faculty. For Prof Marcelo, serving the faculty was unforgettable.
“When I retire, I will be sitting down, reading books and probably writing and those will be the years that I will cherish most,” Prof Marcelo expressed.
Prof. Marcelo was incredibly honored to have been given the chance to lead in the expansion and growth of UST after 400 years, together with the Father Rector, Dominicans, and other administrators. Prof. Marcelo also expressed her appreciation and affection to her family for their unwavering support and love.
To end her speech, she gave heartwarming advice from a book she used to read since day 1 of her leading the faculty to Dean dela Cruz and his board. She left him a verse from the bible, (Joshua 4:6-7) saying that “a leader's attention belongs on what lies ahead. History is important because it provides a perspective to the future, but we don't live in the past. There’s a difference between living in history and learning from it. Which do you do most often?”
Prof. Marcelo hopes that the same support given to her and her team will also be the same support that the faculty and staff will give to Dean dela Cruz and his team. She is grateful to God to turn over her position to somebody capable, committed and somebody who loves the FoE and UST as well.
“In my case, I fought the good fight, I have finished the race and I kept the faith. Thank you very much,” Prof. Marcelo concluded.
Moreover, Rev. Fr. Luanzon awarded Prof. Marcelo a token of appreciation for her service to the Faculty.
Consequently, Dean dela Cruz officially commenced his era of leadership through a speech. For the newly designated Dean, even if it has been three semesters since he was appointed for the position, it is natural for him to doubt his ability and worth when given a blessing or opportunity to lead even with all the great people he has worked with.
“It is not the person who seeks the right position, but it is the position who searches for the right person,” Dean dela Cruz concluded.
However, despite his reservations, he guaranteed that each mistake he makes will be the best choice and not the right option, because sometimes the right choice is not the best option to serve the common interest of the stakeholders and the people he is working with.
As a man who values family, Prof. dela Cruz also values his late mother’s words which say, “Mas mainam po na maging mabait kesa sa maging tama."
To show his gratitude, he gave thanks to his family, friends and everyone he has worked with in the past that led him to where he is now - a leader who will continuously aim to improve and develop the Faculty of Engineering.
To carry on with the assembly, FoE Faculty Secretary, Asst. Prof. Ma. Luisa T. Asilo, MEng, PECE, presented this semester’s dean, father regent, assistant dean, executive community members, laboratory supervisors and coordinates/support units and newly hired staff. Shortly after, the enrollment statistics of the faculty was discussed.
Following this, Dean dela Cruz presented the expected awards and recognitions, faculty developments, research updates, accreditation visits, industry and alumni partnerships, hybrid learning module and proposed changes to be conducted this 2023 and to the following years of UST.
Assistant Dean Asst. Prof. Tiangco also discussed important reminders regarding academic staff and the students, which include term guides, attendance checking of academic staff, course deliveries, pre-requisite courses, uniforms, absences, assessments, mimeographing services and encoding or completion of grades.
To end the assembly, a question and answer portion was provided for the onsite and online audiences of the meeting.
Erratum: Prof. Philippina A. Marcelo, PhD, PECE served the UST FoE for more than a decade instead of eight years.
