President Ramos Investiture Speech - University of Makati

PRESIDENT ELYXZUR C. RAMOS, PhD, CESE
Investiture Speech

Former Vice President Jejomar Binay, Mayor Abigail Binay-Campos, Sec. Sonny Angara, members of the diplomatic corps, University Presidents, Congressman Kid Peña, Congressman Luis Campos, Congressman Kiko Benitez, City of Makati Officials, fellow workers in government, our beloved students, guests, ladies and gentlemen a pleasant good afternoon.

Let me start my speech with a familiar Bible story about Moses. Because of the cry of the Israelites who were at that time oppressed and persecuted in Egypt, God called Moses and told him to bring his people out of Egypt. Moses was reluctant and objected by saying, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh? What if they do not believe me or listen to me? I have never been eloquent. I am slow of speech and tongue so please send someone else to do it”. But in all of his objections, God answered, “I will be with you and bring the Israelites out of Egypt”.

I started with that story because just like Moses, I too had doubts about whether or not I can be the President that the entire University of Makati (UMak) community expects me to be. But your presence here today, just like God’s answer to Moses, comforts and assures me that all of you will be with me in this exciting journey toward excellence for UMak.

So just like in the story of Moses where he was handed a tablet with the Ten Commandments, I, on the other hand, would like to honor and thank 10 groups who shaped me and prepared me for becoming who I am today.

I do not know if fate may have it, but before I start with my list, those who know me on a personal level, which most of you do, that’s why you are here, call me by my nickname X, which is the Roman numeral for the number 10.

Today also marks my investiture as the 10th President of UMak, I believe this is no ordinary coincidence so let me begin with my list of 10.

First, I want to thank God because he made all these possible at the right time.

When Prof. Tommy Lopez passed away in 2019, I wrote in my novena to God’s love in 2020, that I wish to be the President of UMak and continue his legacy.

It did not happen right away because of the pandemic and because UMak had to amend its charter which paved the way for the creation of a formal process for electing its president.

Today, I can proudly say that I am the 1st ever UMak President elected by the University Board of Regents that underwent a formal selection process.

Second, many ask how I ended up being an educator.

The answer is that I was inspired by my teachers and the academic institutions that molded me to become an educator. You see, there are no academicians in my family, so there was no teacher role model that I looked up to. But looking back, it was my teachers who made me realize what a noble profession teaching is.

Education gives hope! So, I want to thank all my teachers, with special mention to some who made a mark in my life.

Mrs. Teresita Esmero, my grade 6 English teacher from Concordia College.

Ms. Edna Marco, my High School Religion teacher, and Dr. Victoria Rosas, my Economics professor in college both from my beloved alma mater, Colegio de San Juan de Letran Manila. It is at Letran that I enjoyed the best years of my academic journey and where I first ventured into the world of academia.

Thanks also to Fr. Greg Banaga, my professor in my Doctoral studies at Adamson University who always beams with pride whenever he sees me.

I also want to thank a particular academic institution, the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde which allowed me to become a better faculty.

Even with my current position as President of UMak, I still see to it that I handle a class and teach my students.

So, thank you my dear teachers and alma mater for planting within me the seeds of love for teaching.

Third are my childhood friends from Trabajo Street in Barangay Olympia, Makati where I grew up and my High School and College classmates and batchmates.

Some of them are here,

I even remember my 1st day of high school in Letran. Thank you because I had very good memories with all of you. We had lots of fun and wonderful time together and we have stayed connected throughout the years. This connection taught me to value people and invest in relationships.

Fourth, my fraternity brothers from the Scouts Royale Brotherhood and the Alpha Phi Omega who taught me the value of loyalty, developed me to become a better leader and a friend, and instilled within me an attitude of service.

Some of my APO fraternity brothers and our national president, Kevin Dy are also here today, thank you APO for being the strong circle.

Fifth, are my colleagues in the academe and the different socio-civic and professional organizations where I belong.

I would like to especially mention my fellow Local Universities and Colleges (LUC) presidents, EDCOM 2 fellow members, the Society of Fellows in Supply Management board, my fellow reservist officers from the Philippine Navy, and my Makati YMCA family, all of you have taught me to go the extra mile and to serve without expecting anything in return.

Sixth, my coworkers and staff at UMak both past and present, and my fellow City Officials of Makati.

Ang sarap maging Makatizen at mag trabaho sa Makati dahil sa inyó.

Special mention goes to certain individuals who have been my close friends since I joined UMak, Olan, Nemie, Ma’am Au, Dr. Brawner, Rolly, and Jo, and of course, all my former staff when I was the University Secretary and VP for Academic Affairs, Malou, Endix, Wovi, and now my staff at the OP Jen, Joel, Nico, and Kat.

Sa mga iba na hindî ko man nabanggit ang mga pangalan lalò na sa mga kolehiyo na minsan akóng naging dekano, maraming salamat.

But one UMak colleague, I will never forget, who mentored me and paved the way for UMak to what it is today is Prof. Tommy Lopez.

Prof, you were a visionary, a rebel, and a catalyst. Thank you for teaching me to never accept “no” as an answer even if it is unpopular or difficult as long as our “yes” is for the betterment of UMak and our country.

Seventh, is my Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME) family.

WWME has been the lifeblood of my spousal relationship with my wife, Joyce. Those who know me and my wife Joyce, know how extremely different our personalities are – maingay akó, tahimik yung asawa ko; mabilis akó kumilos, mabagal siyá gumalaw; nag iisip pa siyá, akó gumagawa na. But kidding aside, it is the other way around.

I do not know where my marriage and I will be at this time without WWME. So, thank you WWME and all the loving WWME couples here today for journeying with me and Joyce and for teaching me that “to love and be willing to be loved is a daily decision”.

Eighth, to the UMak Management Committee (ManCom). All the achievements and accomplishments of UMak, I share with my ManCom.

Atty. Jewel, you have been a true loyal friend and colleague. Our relationship is at a level that you are comfortable to correct me and for that, I am most thankful.

VP Ed, our wives are BFFs, so I better watch what I say. But truly, I admire you for you are an intellectual genius.

VP Nette, you are one of the best hires I made in UMak. You are a model of professionalism and grace under pressure.

VP Gil, you have the heart for student’s welfare and the constant reminder to us kung para kanino ba natin ginagawa ang mga ginagawa natin sa UMak.

VP Ivan, your wit and input remind us to be sharp and always be ready for the unexpected.

USec. Juvy, your promptness and guidance ensure that we always have everything in order.

To the six of you, thank you for making my job as President much easier.

Ninth, to the Binay family.

Fast forward today with Mayor Abby, who has never wavered in her love and support for every UMak student and employee. In a short period under her leadership, we have had 119 employees promoted, 152 employees regularized and a steady increase of budget given to UMak.

This year alone, UMak’s budget is 1.05B which I believe is the highest ever budget given by any city to its LUC. Walâ po akóng alam na mas gaganda pang LUC kaysa sa UMak because in Makati we always do better.

At dahil po diyan, nakaka proud talagang maging Makatizen at isang UMak Heron dahil sa inyó. So, to the Binay family most especially to Mayor Abby Binay, thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve and to lead UMak.

Tenth is my family.

To my parents – Mommy and Daddy, you raised me well and I cannot ask for anything else. To Mommy, my siblings, and my in-laws, I know Daddy is smiling up there watching this event today and I know he is extremely proud of me.

To my children, Dani, Cuy, Duke, Simone, and Lucas, all of you are the love of my life.

Lastly, to my wife Joyce, you are my reason for being, my north star, and my constant. On this occasion, I share it, especially with you.

As I take the helm of the Presidency of UMak, let me share with you my vision and top ten goals for the university.

First, for UMak to be the 1st LUC in the country to be globally ranked and recognized.

We did it last year in the World University Rankings and this year we were even better, ranking 209th among thousands of universities worldwide. I hope you are as excited as I am about what we can do next year and the years to come.

Second, most of you probably do not know that UMak is the overall top-performing law school in last year’s Bar Examinations.

We will continue that tradition of excellence in law education and in the other board-related programs that UMak offers, but we will not stop there, as UMak also plans to be the 1st LUC that will offer a school of medicine and we can assure you that we will also be excellent in that field.

Third, UMak has never shied away from taking risks in hopes of developing new models and techniques to help improve the quality of education in our country.

We were a pilot school of the K+12 implementation and it is in this context that we want UMak to be a center of excellence in innovative teacher training and development.

Earlier, before we started this program, we just signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Khan Academy Philippines, Inc. to collaborate in the areas of teacher training, curriculum development, resource sharing, and research initiatives.

Sec. Sonny, we are offering UMak to be the Department of Education’s “collaboratory”, this is our contribution to helping uplift the quality of education in our country.

Fourth, for UMak to be the 1st Laudato Si certified LUC in the country.

The City of Makati has always taken pride as a smart and sustainable city. Fr. Francis, this is UMak’s contribution to ensuring that our campus provides a sustainable environment for all our stakeholders.

Fifth, for UMak to be the 1st LUC with a Knowledge, Innovation, Science, and Technology (KIST) Park in our country.

This will ensure a continuous mindset of innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurship among all stakeholders of UMak and the City of Makati. I would like to thank Assistant Secretary Nap Juanillo of the Department of Science and Technology for considering UMak to be a KIST Park.

Sixth, for UMak to develop a stronger culture for research.

As a local university, we aim to become the research arm of our city and be excellent in research. We have set a modest goal of at least 100 Scopus-indexed publications every year amongst our faculty, students, and staff at the University. To date, we already have 35 Scopus-indexed papers at UMak, the most among all LUCs in the country.

Seventh, to be a hub for developing talent in culture and sports.

The presentation you witnessed earlier was staged by our students and resident artists under the tutelage of our National Artist for Dance, Ms. Alice Reyes.

Not many LUCs can claim they have a national artist as one of their resident artists and part of their faculty pool. We want UMak to be a home for more national artists and also national sports programs as well.

Today as I speak, 2 of our students are now training to be a part of our national football team, 3 as part of the Philippine National Rugby Union Team, and 8 as part of the Philippine National Floorball Team.

We want the list to continue and to grow.

Eighth, to be a model of a passport system for an integrated learning modality for LUCs.

This is going to be UMak’s contribution to a seamless credit system and lifelong learning pathway for learners and teachers, especially among LUCs

Ninth, to continue to champion and take the lead in Industry-Academe partnerships and linkages.

UMak’s Dualized Education System or DUES is the key driver that defined UMak as it is today. Our strong linkages with the industry ensure that UMak will always continue to offer relevant programs needed by employers.

Lastly, to be a preferred school of choice not only because the City of Makati provides scholarship subsidies to our students but because of our reputation for academic excellence.

Kung dati kapág tinanong ang estudyante ng UMak kung saan ka nag aaral, ang sagot ay “sa DLSU or Diyan Lang Sa UMak”, ngayon, pinag nanasahan na ang UMak at taas-noo ng sinasabi ng ating mga estudyante that they are proud UMak Herons.

All of this goals I know we can all achieve together.

Let me end by sharing a story about what transpired during the public forum last year for the search for UMak President. During the public forum, I said “ang taya ko sa UMak ay ipinagkatiwala ko sa UMak ang pag aaral ng mga anak ko.”

Dani, my eldest, is a graduate of UMak and is now a licensed Pharmacist. Duke, my 3rd child, is an incoming nursing senior in UMak. In fact, my wife Joyce, also took up Nursing in UMak as a second course is also a licensed nurse.

Kung kaya kong ipagkatiwala ang edukasyon ng aking mga mahal sa buhay sa UMak, makakasiguro kayo na hindî ko papayagan na babagsak ang kalidad ng edukasyon sa UMak bagkus, lalò ko pa, kasama ninyóng lahat, iaangát ang antás nitó.

Mulî, maraming salamat sa inyóng lahat!

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