Pi Gamma Mu,
Gamma Chapter Officers

with Cecile M. Genove

The officers of Pi Gamma Mu, the international honor society in the social sciences, Philippine Gamma Chapter, were installed into office recently at the University House, Silliman University. The mission of Pi Gamma Mu is to encourage and promote excellence in the social sciences and to uphold the ideals of scholarship and service.

 Only the third chapter to be organized in the Philippines, the Gamma Chapter was officially formed in August of last year with 13 charter members in a ceremony at Bacongham Resort, Bacong, Negros Oriental led by officers of the Alpha and Beta Chapters of the said organization.

      The regular officers of the Gamma Chapter are: Margaret Helen Alvarez, president; Enrique Oracion, vice-president; Renante Lingcong, secretary; Rosalind Ablir, treasurer; this columnist as external relations officer; with Carlos Magtolis Jr. and Ben Malayang III as faculty advisers. The other charter members are: Rosario Baseleres, Cornelia Cadeliña, Fred Cadeliña, Earl Jude Paul Cleope, Malcolm Hiponia, and Rolando Mascuñana.

In the remarks delivered by inducting officer, Dr. Leslie Bauzon, himself a member of Pi Gamma Mu and an alumnus of Silliman University, he took note of the fact that the organization was also commemorating its first anniversary and like all firsts, is considered a special occasion. It meant, according to Dr. Bauzon — a retired professor of history and dean of the College of Social Science and Philosophy of the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City as well as a retired professor of Southeast Asian Studies of the Graduate School of Area Studies and Doctoral Program in International Political Economy of the University of Tsukuba, Japan – the coming of age of the organization in its growth and achievements. “The occasion connotes strength of character, healthy growth, and a perpetuation of its relevance to the society it serves. It is also a promise that it has the motivation and the capacity to continue the good work it has been doing since its inception,” he told the members.

Dr. Bauzon, likewise, acknowledged the contributions of those who have come before the Gamma Chapter members, who have given their talents and their lives to the organization. “We are grateful for the leadership, foresight, and dedication they have extended to the organization so that it passes on to you now as a dynamic group composed of men and women who are committed to a socially responsible exercise of academic citizenship in this country,” emphasized Dr. Bauzon.

He underscored the need for socially responsible citizens who, while maintaining a critical stance toward the State, can help ventilate the issues confronting the society through public forums. He said that these were the economic, social, cultural, and psychological requirements of Philippine development. As one of its projects, the Gamma Chapter co-sponsored the integrative lecture at the start of this semester of Dr. Kenton Clymer, a professor of history of Northern Illinois University.

Dr. Bauzon exhorted the officers and members to uphold a people-oriented development by actively intervening in policy making at the government and grassroots levels. “Intervention, enlightened by public discussion of issues in activities like forums, may come in such forms as clarifying the assumptions and possible consequences of alternative policy directions; helping formulate a legislative agenda for the new Congress in 2010 which will promote participatory development; and, facilitating the institution of popular organizations at the grassroots so that the interest of the people will be upheld at all times,” he explained.

He was confident that the members are already convinced of the merits of teaching the social sciences to undergraduate and graduate students of Silliman University. Although some practitioners have not exactly been very receptive of the inclusion of history in the social science group, Dr. Bauzon said that today’s social sciences have something to contribute not only to historical understanding, but moreso to our understanding of the dynamics of man and society, especially in the context of the Philippine situation.

As a result, he said that the social sciences are very relevant to the daily lives of the students we teach and we want to reach out to. Dr. Bauzon continued that the social sciences afford our students the opportunity to learn concepts that will enable them to comprehend their social, cultural, and political situation, even as they acquire the ability to develop alternative approaches to cope with the realities around them.

Being a historian himself, Dr. Bauzon said that one major value that he sees in the social sciences comes from the emphasis of the social scientists on norms, types, and averages that permit the constructions of what scholars call models, or what historians call well-founded propositions and generalizations about social reality. “Models or theoretical constructs are valuable in giving meaning and organization to otherwise diffuse data, which have the effect of calling attention to previously unnoticed characteristics of the evidence at hand,” explained Dr. Bauzon.

He observed that truly, there is something of value that the social sciences have to offer to our students not only in terms of knowledge, but also in terms of skills and competencies. He exhorted the teachers to convey to the students the pragmatic value of the social science disciplines so that we would produce graduates who are able to reconcile what they have learned inside the classroom with what they find in the world at large, and who are able to translate their learning into practical actions that will contribute toward the betterment of the real conditions facing the Filipino people.

“I call upon you to be friends of the Filipino people, of the poor fisherman’s son from Surigao, of the poor tenant farmer’s daughter from Nueva Ecija, of the poor sacada worker’s son from Negros Island, or the unemployed squatter’s son from Payatas, Quezon City. By being friends of the people of this country, as social scientists you can have a positive impact and make a difference in society toward making it tick and making this nation of ours a better place to live in,” concluded Dr. Bauzon.

      Meanwhile, the newly formed School of Public Affairs and Governance Society of Silliman University recently held the induction of its pioneering set of officers with Vice-President for Finance and Administration Prof. Cleonico Fontelo as inducting officer. They are: The Rev. Father Filmore Calibo, president; Roy Olsen de Leon, vice-president for the Ph.D. in Social Sciences program; Adrian Bacay, vice-president for the Master of Public Administration program; Jan Barrera, secretary; Raul Quiqui, treasurer; Jesa Selibio, auditor; this columnist, PRO for the Ph.D. in Social Sciences program; LL Fullo, PRO for the Master of Public Administration program; Edward Catapusan and Lourdes Angela Florendo, activities officers for the MPA and Ph. D. programs, respectively. Adviser of the SPAG Society is Dr. Reynaldo Rivera, SPAG director.

      On the other hand, the Graduate Students Organization of Silliman University recently held its election of officers for this school year. The officers are: Florence Gene Benlota, president; Gwen Opsima, vice-president; Anna Lyn Gio, secretary; Heidi Sierra, treasurer; Dara Saquin, PRO. Adviser of the SU Graduate Students Organization is this columnist.

 

back to top