The MSU-IIT graduated 1,964 during the 47th Commencement Exercises held yesterday, July 5, 2017 at the Gymnasium.
It is the biggest turn out in MSU-IIT’s history according to the Registrar Dr. Jerson N. Orejudos. Led by the Class Valedictorian Mubarak M. Paingco who graduated Summa Cum Laude, this year has a total of 60 magna cum laudes, 390 cum laudes, 10 With Honors for the Three Year Diploma Courses and four With Honors for the Two-Year Diploma Courses.
The graduation ceremony had for its speaker the Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Fortunato T. de la Pena (see related story).
De la Pena lauded MSU-IIT’s quality education and he said, the Institute has become a byword in science and higher education in the country and in other countries. He also took note of its top rated College of Engineering (COE) and its promptness in updating its curriculum.
De la Pena, who retired in 2014, was Professor of Industrial Engineering at the UP from 1973-2011; a Professional Lecturer in Industrial Engineering at the University of the Philippines; and, also served as Undersecretary of the DOST in 2001-2014 among other positions he held in the past.
This year’s Class Valedictorian Paingco, a BS General Biology major had a grade point average of 1.10168, one of the highest obtained by a graduate in MSU-IIT.
This year’s 47th Commencement Exercises had its graduation speaker the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Secretary, Fortunato T. De La Peña. He addressed 1, 964 graduates from eight different colleges and schools on July 5, 2017 at the Institute Gymnasium.
De La Peña expressed his pleasure to be back in MSU-IIT as guest speaker as he last came to the Institute sometime in 2010-2011 when he was still DOST Undersecretary and visited the Materials Science Laboratory and other facilities supported by the DOST. He told the graduates that he knows the mixed feelings of a graduate. “First, there is that extreme happiness and feeling of relief after completing all those requirements, all those trials that you have undergone…more importantly, there is also that feeling of anxiety and uncertainty with the life ahead of you.”
He then shared his journey as a student who attended college at the early age of 14, going through until graduation, working as an engineer, pursuing graduate studies, and becoming a teacher for 43 years at the University of the Philippines while working at DOST.
In his commencement address, the tall, soft-spoken DOST Secretary emphasized to the graduates that it does not matter where they will start their career. He said that what is more important is they find a place where they enjoy the work they will do. He went on to share his own experience, “I said to myself you can never tell. In fact, I never planned my career. I just went on with whatever I enjoyed doing, doing my best where I am located and trying to weigh things when there are challenges and opportunities ahead of me. I did not look for places to go but when there were opportunities that came my way, I try to weigh and make a decision.”
He further encouraged the graduates by saying, “wherever you are, just do your best and while you are still young, it is okay for you to transfer from one job to another. But make sure when you are already settled down with your family, try to get settled in a career where you are happy.”
He proceeded by congratulating the faculty members, parents, and benefactors who he thinks deserve as much congratulations as the graduates do. He also congratulated MSU-IIT for making quality education accessible to many people especially those who are financially challenged.
He commended MSU-IIT as one of the country’s top-rating universities recognizing the designated seven Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Centers of Excellence and eleven Centers of Development in the Institute, and the only Higher Education Institution in Mindanao identified to be a delivering institution of two DOST scholarship programs: the Accelerated Science and Technology Human Resource Development Program (ASTHRD) and the Engineering Research and Development for Technology (ERDT).
Moreover, he said excellent research studies are done as he had seen during his first visit in the Institute in 2009, faculty members obtaining scholarships for doctorate studies abroad, international collaborations, the existence of research laboratories and equipment housed in the Premier Research Institute of Science and Mathematics (PRISM), the Technology Business Incubator (TBI), and the Fabrication Laboratory (Fab Lab).
According to the science chief, when it comes to delivery of education, MSU-IIT is prompt to act on improvements in its curriculum to respond to changing needs. This is evidenced in the offering of the Microelectronics track of the Electronics and Communication Engineering program following the DOST- Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD)-funded project “Developing Microelectronics Education in the Philippines.”
Seeing how the Institute has developed and how it has made initiatives to help, De La Peña invites and challenges MSU-IIT to be one of the DOST’s lead partners in implementing their programs and hastening the development of other regions.
In closing, De La Peña conveyed to the graduates the wishes articulated by President Rodrigo Duterte with the hope that these will be kept in the minds and hearts of the graduates wherever they go and whatever career they will have: reduction of inequality, creation of new opportunities, and expansion of potentials for growth. He believes that this year’s theme “Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship” is very appropriate as these are ways of expanding potentials for growth.
The 47th Graduation Ceremonies class was led by Mubarak M. Paingco, a BS Biology major and the only Summa Cum Laude this year, with a GPA of 1.102. Ten students were recipients of Institute Co-curricular Awards, namely: Jahaziel Mark S. Bahan (CBAA), Institute Leadership Award; Lou Ellen L. Antonio (CASS), Journalism Award; Michelle B. Garing (CASS), Music Award; Veniza D. Yamomo (CBAA), Performing Arts Award; Janodin M. Marohombsar, Debate Award; Primo T. Bagasol (CEd), Dance Award (Male); Laurice Jean A. Sator, Dance Award (Female); Paul Mateo Huelma (CBAA), Athletics Award (Male); May Kristine Deang (Ced), Athletics Award (Female); and Lyster Rey Cabardo (CSM), Sikap Award. Seventeen grantees from the Expanded Student Grants-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA) were also recognized for their exemplary performance and were awarded medals by CHED-X Regional Director Gersana.
MSU System President Habib W. Macaayong conferred the various titles and degrees on the graduating class in the presence of the members of the Board of Regents, MSU System officials, MSU-Naawan Chancellor Proserpina G. Roxas, MSU-Buug Chancellor Sultan Taha G. Sarip, MSU-IIT officials, and other guests: CHED-X Regional Director Zenaida Gersana, DOST-X Regional Director Alfonso Alamban, Division Chief of PCIEERD-DOST Ermie Bacarra and Executive Director of the Board of Investments in Sri Lanka Upali Senarath.
The 47th Pre-Commencement Exercises and Recognition Ceremonies were held on July 3-4, 2017 with guest speakers Dr. Rey Y. Capangpangan, Research, Development and Extension Center Head of Mineral Resources Research and Training Center, Butuan City (for Cluster 1: CSM, CON); Carlos B. Llamas III, Principal of Lumbatin Elementary School, Iligan City (for Cluster 2: SCS, CEd); ASEAN Engineer Rainaline R. Tan, Assistant Vice President for Refinery, Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corporation, Leyte (for Cluster 3: COE&T); and Dr. Raymund M. Pasion, Associate Professor of Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology (for Cluster 4: CASS, CBAA, SGS, and SDS).
Iligan City – To have control over one’s self by knowing the truth, to learn from religion, to be patient, and to be respectful, were thoughts shared by one more bright, young Maranao who graduated summa cum laude at the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSUIIT) yesterday, July 5, 2017 at the MSU-IIT Gymnasium.
“I believe that the young should be enlightened about what is happening in Marawi. They should not be forced to believe in one thing only. They should strive to seek the truth and learn from religion (Islam)”, Mubarak Macabanding Paingco, 20 said in Taglish and Ceblish in an interview with this writer.
Paingco hails from Pantao Ragat, Lanao del Norte. His triumph comes on the heels of another Maranao summa cum laude graduate from the University of the Philippines – the first bright light to emerge during the Marawi crisis that has entered its 6th week of clashes.
During the Commencement exercises at the MSU-IIT, Paingco with a cumulative average grade of 1.10268, greeted his fellow 1, 964 graduates with an Arabic invocation to Allah before he delivered a prepared speech, interrupting this with sobs and the wiping off of tears as he reminisced about his late mother’s passing. He was only eight years old at the time.
As a child, he had told his mother not to worry promising to cure her when he would become a doctor. But this would not be realized.
His mother passed away and this had increased his resolve to pursue his ambition to be a doctor by choosing to major in General Biology in college.
Recently, Paingco got a 99 percent passing rate in the National Medical Admission Exam.
All these achievements, however, have not changed him. He had worked hard, he said, simply because his family had egged him on to excel by always reminding him he has a good head. He finished Valedictorian in the elementary grades and as Salutatorian at the Philippine Science High School, Central Mindanao campus located in Nangka, Baloi, Lanao del Norte.
He said, in a detached way, that he had simply studied and he had understood his lessons.
Since high school, he had always been “proficient” in Chemistry, Filipino and the Social Sciences, while in college, he breezed through his subjects in Mathematics, Physics and in Chemistry.
But his advice to students is to “relax” in between classes for the sake of their physical well-being. As a college student, he became a member of the MSU-IIT Student Muslim Association and the Varsity Volleyball team.
Steering the conversation once more to the Marawi crisis, Paingco said he does not support extremism, at the same time, he said, that the Maute rebel leaders are knowledgeable about Islam having studied in the Middle East. He, however, declined to comment on how the rebel leaders were also politicized abroad.
When asked to theorize about the possible start of the Marawi crisis, he emphasized that he is not really clear about what is happening in Marawi saying that it will “take a lapse of time” to know the real score of this crisis that is taking a toll on both the government and extremist forces as it enters its sixth week of fighting.
On the whole, Paingco expressed optimism for the future of Mindanao saying that the island is rich in natural resources that many can benefit. When he becomes a doctor, he said, he will serve the general community.
Photos by Alf Caro Evan, MSU-IIT Office of Publication & Information
The Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio is this year’s 46th Commencement Speaker on June 15, 2016 at the MSU-IIT Gymnasium.
Justice Carpio earned his undergraduate degree in Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1970. He finished his law degree from the University of the Philippines College of Law graduating valedictorian and cum laude in 1975. He took sixth place in the 1975 Bar Examinations.
Below are the other details about SC Justice Carpio taken from the SC Philippines Official website:
In his student days, Justice Carpio was Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Philippine Law Journal of the U.P. College of Law. He was Editor-in- Chief of The Guidon, the school paper of Ateneo de Manila University. He also served as Managing Editor of the Philippine Collegian, the school paper of the University of the Philippines.
Fresh out of law school, Justice Carpio went into private practice and founded the Carpio Villaraza and Cruz Law firm. He was a Professorial Lecturer of the U.P. College of Law from 1983 until 1992 when he was appointed Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, Office of the President of the Philippines.
Justice Carpio was a member of the Board of Regents of the University of the Philippines from 1993 to 1998. He was a member of the Technology Transfer Board of the Department of Industry from 1978 to 1979. He served as Special Representative of the Department of Trade for textile negotiations from 1980 to 1981. He was elected President of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Pasay-Makati Chapter (1985-1986), Director of the U.P. Law Alumni Association (1984-1989), and Director of the Philippine Bar Association (1989-1990).
For his “distinguished and exemplary service” to the Republic, Justice Carpio was awarded in 1998 the Presidential Medal of Merit by then President Fidel Ramos. In 1991, Justice Carpio received the Outstanding Achievement Award in Law from the Ateneo de Manila Alumni Association. In 2002, he was also the recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Ateneo de Davao Alumni Association. In 2009, he was conferred a Doctorate of Laws, honoris causa, by the Ateneo de Davao University.
Justice Carpio is the Chair of the Second Division and Chair of the Senate Electoral Tribunal.
It would seem now that University of the Philippines (UP) Professor Felipe Mendoza de Leon, Jr. is the best choice for a speaker during this year’s 5th Mid-Year Commencement Exercises which is hosted by the College of Arts & Social Sciences (CASS).
He delivers the commencement address to over 600 graduates at 9:00 AM at the Gymnasium on November 20, 2014.
De Leon graduated with an Electronics and Communications engineering degree from Feati University,but he has, since the late 1960s, turned to a lifelong study of the country’s music forms and has led in the promotion of the country’s culture and arts.
At present he is the Head of the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) National Committee on Music and the Head of the Sub Commission on the Arts, at the same time, the Chairman and Commissioner of the NCCA. He is also Chairman of the NCCA’s Committee on Filipino Intangible Heritage. In this capacity, he led the process responsible for having the country’s two major epics, the Ifugao Hudhud and the Maranao Darangen proclaimed as UNESCO Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage for Humanity.
He had previously headed many other posts at the NCCA since the 1990s for instance, as Chairman of the NCCA Sub Commission on the Arts from 2004-2007, and the Sub Commission for Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts from 1992-1998 during which period the Schools of Living Traditions (SLTs) were established all over the country.
He was Chair of the Humanities Division of the National Research Council of the Philippines; the Commissioner of UNESCO Philippines in 1999-2002; and, as Chairman of the Gawad Sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures Awards) this award was institutionalized in recognition of the masters of traditional arts in the country towards the preservation and transmission of skills to the younger generation.
This passion for the country’s culture and arts is shown in his home where material and art objects showcasing Philippine arts and crafts become an integral part.
He is the son of the National Artist for Music Felipe Padilla de Leon, famous for translating the lyrics of the Philippine National Anthem into Tagalog from the original lyrics in Spanish. De Leon, Jr. who admires his father said that among his father’s famous compositions are “Noche Buena” which was composed in seven minutes and “Pasko na Naman” which was composed in five minutes.
He is father to the multi-awarded film music scorer Diwa de Leon and the multi-awarded triathlon athlete Ani de Leon.
De Leon, Jr. has held other administrative positions in UP Diliman — as Chairman of the Department of Humanities where he charted the shift from a Eurocentric to a World Art approach emphasizing Southeast Asian and Philippine arts; as President of the National Association for Philippine Psychology, elected as Vice President of the International Music Council (IMC) of the UNESCO in California, eventually becoming the only Asian member of IMC to represent the country in meetings in Malmo, Sweden, in Rome and in Brno, Czech Republic.
He was instrumental in bringing Philippine music not only around the country but in the US, Finland, Lithuania, Sweden and in Italy.
Among his numerous compositions are the music for various plays such as Yerma by Federico Garcia Lorca, Lysistrata by Aristophanes and Rizal’s Noli me tangere directed by Tony Mabesa; the official hymn, Diwang Pilipino commissioned by the National Centennial Commission which was launched at the Quirino Grandstand by then President Fidel V. Ramos; the Senate Hymn and the NCCA Hymn.
De Leon also finished an AB in Humanities, cum laude from UP; a Fine Arts degree in composition and music theory also at the UP; his musicological studies at the Madras Music Academy in India and Philippine Studies at the UP College of Arts & Letters.
His published works include Philippine Art and Literature, Volume III of the Filipino Nation Encyclopedia published by Grolier International in 1982; Art, Man and Nature: Selected Readings in the Humanities and numerous articles on cultural issues especially on cultural creativity and diversity, worldviews and values, and culture and development. He was the main author of the ASEAN Declaration for Cultural Heritage.
His many awards include the Gawad Chancellor Award by the UP Diliman; Achievement Awardee of the National Research Council of the Philippines; Bayani ng Alamat Awardee by the UP Manila; one of ten Outstanding Citizens of Quezon City; Outstanding Achievement Award by the Phi Kappa Phi International Honor Society; and, a Gawad Parangal by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for outstanding service to the DFA. — for OC OPI
