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What distinguishes a Sillimanian from the rest? Read and find out… You might just have that piece of Silliman in you.
Article by Mr. Ian Fermin R. Casocot, an award-winning literary artist and faculty of the Department of English and Literature at Silliman University, in celebration of Silliman’s 103rd Founders Day.
__________________________________________________________________
TOUCHING THE LOCALITY
It is commonly held to be true that “true art does not develop in a vacuum.” The same can be said perhaps of anyone’s life and their accomplishments – that the essence of our vocation springs from what we have done for our society . . . for our community.
That is to say, we are who we are because each of us has something of significance to give to people, and our accomplishments become our passport to a singular identity that measures our personal brand of excellence. Excellence cannot be excellence if people are not touched by it.
That is why we have doctors and nurses showing excellence through giving care, engineers and scientists giving visions for better futures, writers and artists giving dreams for inspiration, businessmen and women giving economic sustainability, and teachers giving our children the shape with which they, too, can influence positively the future of humanity. Excellence does not develop in a vacuum indeed. It is something that touches all of us in the community.
We, Sillimanians, always seek to celebrate a certain brand of excellence, something that bears our dear Alma Mater’s name. This year, in celebration of our 103rd Founders Day, we talk about exploring the frontiers of Silliman excellence. Perhaps one way of shedding light into that theme is to define this frontiers by specifically exploring how Silliman excellence has touched the community – be it locally, nationally, or internationally.
It goes without saying that with the local community, Dumaguete cannot be Dumaguete without Silliman. It is its very heart. And many of our graduates have indeed gone on beyond the portals of Silliman to shape the progress of Dumaguete City.
People like businessmen Julio Sy and Eduard Du, architect Manuel Almagro, educator Valentino Sitoy, lawyer and budding politician Mrish Cadapan-Antonio, media powerhouses Glynda Descuatan and Alex Pal, and environmentalist and city vice-mayor William Ablong . . . the list goes on and on.
TOUCHING THE NATION
What makes a nation tick are the people who become its vital mechanism. Perhaps the truthfulness of that statement is best expressed by American President John F. Kennedy when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for you country.”
You see, we live in perplexing times when the growth of the nation is hampered by large-scale corruption, mere handouts, and tolerance for the unproductive. Many of us have forgotten that to make a country great, it requires citizens to do great things in their individual lives – or at least a semblance of something great.
For the past one hundred years, hundreds of Silliman alumni have grasped that ideal and have gone to the national stage to at least do a bit of good for our country with their singular efforts. Many of us have done our country proud in their efforts to stamp Silliman’s brand of excellence in the national conciousness.
People like Secretary of Finance Juanita Dy-Amatong, National artist for Film Eddie Romero, National Artist for Literature Edith Lopez Tiempo, and her late husband the renowned fictionist Edilberto K. Tiempo, Fomer National Treasurer Lenor Briones, College Assurance Plan President Enrique Sobrepeña, business titans William Chiong-bian and the Utensil bothers, ornithologist Discoro Rabor, banker Ricardo Balbibo Jr., Senator Robert Barbers, Justice Jesus Elbinias, and Philippine President Calos P. Garcia.
Our country has gained only from their expertise and from their spirit to make ourselves proud of what the Filipino can indeed do.
What can we make of the Philippines today? You can say we have lost so much of our hope in the light of so many bad news. Perhaps the example of our outstanding alumni will change that, to make ourselves see once more how much we are just capable of to change our society little by little, through sheer ambition for excellence in the name of nation-building.
TOUCHING THE WORLD
We have seen so far a virtual parade of excellence, Silliman style – and how much that excellence has touched the local community, and the nation. Let us now talk about how Silliman has touched the world.
Many of you might say that we are “small fry” compared to the contributions of other, and bigger, institutions or learning around the world, But, you see, excellence is not all about competition. Nor is it about size of accomplishments. The very concept itself is beyond such petty considerations. What matters most is that one has created an impact in the world, small or whatever. Impact is impact.
Today, for example, I can never look at Old Deuteronomy in the musical Cats or The Engineer in Miss Saigon without seeing the stamp Junix Inocian has made the roles. What about director Eddie Romero influencing a young filmmaker named Quentin Tarantino? What about Angel Alcala and his impact on international marine biology. Or Lucy Jumawan on Australian dance. Or Paul Pfeiffer on the American visual arts. Or Prakit Pradipasen on the Thai banking system. Or Simeon Toribio, Joan Chan, and Jennifer Chan on the Olympics and the international sports arena. Or Rev. Jose Malayang on American Christian evangelism?
These, and many others, are people of note – Sillimanians all – who have gone all over the world, “in high place or in lowly,” as our song goes, embracing “fortunes which send us joy o pain . . .”
Article by Mr. Ian Fermin R. Casocot, an award-winning literary artist and faculty of the Department of English and Literature at Silliman University, in celebration of Silliman’s 103rd Founders Day.
__________________________________________________________________
TOUCHING THE LOCALITY
It is commonly held to be true that “true art does not develop in a vacuum.” The same can be said perhaps of anyone’s life and their accomplishments – that the essence of our vocation springs from what we have done for our society . . . for our community.
That is to say, we are who we are because each of us has something of significance to give to people, and our accomplishments become our passport to a singular identity that measures our personal brand of excellence. Excellence cannot be excellence if people are not touched by it.
That is why we have doctors and nurses showing excellence through giving care, engineers and scientists giving visions for better futures, writers and artists giving dreams for inspiration, businessmen and women giving economic sustainability, and teachers giving our children the shape with which they, too, can influence positively the future of humanity. Excellence does not develop in a vacuum indeed. It is something that touches all of us in the community.
We, Sillimanians, always seek to celebrate a certain brand of excellence, something that bears our dear Alma Mater’s name. This year, in celebration of our 103rd Founders Day, we talk about exploring the frontiers of Silliman excellence. Perhaps one way of shedding light into that theme is to define this frontiers by specifically exploring how Silliman excellence has touched the community – be it locally, nationally, or internationally.
It goes without saying that with the local community, Dumaguete cannot be Dumaguete without Silliman. It is its very heart. And many of our graduates have indeed gone on beyond the portals of Silliman to shape the progress of Dumaguete City.
People like businessmen Julio Sy and Eduard Du, architect Manuel Almagro, educator Valentino Sitoy, lawyer and budding politician Mrish Cadapan-Antonio, media powerhouses Glynda Descuatan and Alex Pal, and environmentalist and city vice-mayor William Ablong . . . the list goes on and on.
TOUCHING THE NATION
What makes a nation tick are the people who become its vital mechanism. Perhaps the truthfulness of that statement is best expressed by American President John F. Kennedy when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for you country.”
You see, we live in perplexing times when the growth of the nation is hampered by large-scale corruption, mere handouts, and tolerance for the unproductive. Many of us have forgotten that to make a country great, it requires citizens to do great things in their individual lives – or at least a semblance of something great.
For the past one hundred years, hundreds of Silliman alumni have grasped that ideal and have gone to the national stage to at least do a bit of good for our country with their singular efforts. Many of us have done our country proud in their efforts to stamp Silliman’s brand of excellence in the national conciousness.
People like Secretary of Finance Juanita Dy-Amatong, National artist for Film Eddie Romero, National Artist for Literature Edith Lopez Tiempo, and her late husband the renowned fictionist Edilberto K. Tiempo, Fomer National Treasurer Lenor Briones, College Assurance Plan President Enrique Sobrepeña, business titans William Chiong-bian and the Utensil bothers, ornithologist Discoro Rabor, banker Ricardo Balbibo Jr., Senator Robert Barbers, Justice Jesus Elbinias, and Philippine President Calos P. Garcia.
Our country has gained only from their expertise and from their spirit to make ourselves proud of what the Filipino can indeed do.
What can we make of the Philippines today? You can say we have lost so much of our hope in the light of so many bad news. Perhaps the example of our outstanding alumni will change that, to make ourselves see once more how much we are just capable of to change our society little by little, through sheer ambition for excellence in the name of nation-building.
TOUCHING THE WORLD
We have seen so far a virtual parade of excellence, Silliman style – and how much that excellence has touched the local community, and the nation. Let us now talk about how Silliman has touched the world.
Many of you might say that we are “small fry” compared to the contributions of other, and bigger, institutions or learning around the world, But, you see, excellence is not all about competition. Nor is it about size of accomplishments. The very concept itself is beyond such petty considerations. What matters most is that one has created an impact in the world, small or whatever. Impact is impact.
Today, for example, I can never look at Old Deuteronomy in the musical Cats or The Engineer in Miss Saigon without seeing the stamp Junix Inocian has made the roles. What about director Eddie Romero influencing a young filmmaker named Quentin Tarantino? What about Angel Alcala and his impact on international marine biology. Or Lucy Jumawan on Australian dance. Or Paul Pfeiffer on the American visual arts. Or Prakit Pradipasen on the Thai banking system. Or Simeon Toribio, Joan Chan, and Jennifer Chan on the Olympics and the international sports arena. Or Rev. Jose Malayang on American Christian evangelism?
These, and many others, are people of note – Sillimanians all – who have gone all over the world, “in high place or in lowly,” as our song goes, embracing “fortunes which send us joy o pain . . .”
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