with Ian Rosales Casocot

Throughout its rich history that spans over a century, Silliman University has always been at the forefront of environmental consciousness, especially in the field of research and active advocacy, guided by the ideals of Via, Veritas, Vita (its motto) and the Christian tradition of stewardship.

It comes as no surprise then that there exists a rich tradition rooted in environmental awareness as evidenced not only in its pioneering programs, but also in its personalities as well—all birthed from within the portals of this university. Take, for instance, the Institute of Environmental and Marine Science (formerly the Silliman University Marine Laboratory) which was established in 1976. Under the auspices of former Silliman president Dr. Angel Alcala, this institute specializes in coastal resource management. In fact, with support from the United States Agency for International Development, the university is currently designated as a Center of Excellence in Coastal Resource Management as well as an environmental steward in Negros Island and Central Visayas Area.

In 1975, Dr. Ben S. Malayang III, then a student, founded the Community Environmental Monitor System, the first of its kind in the country to be run by students. As the university’s incumbent president, Malayang is himself a notable environmentalist and served as former undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources working alongside Dr. Alcala, who was appointed as Secretary of the DENR during the administration of Pres. Fidel Ramos.

Looking back further, the university benefited from the pioneering works in the 1950s and the 1960s of Dr. James W. Chapman in science research and from the efforts of notable protégés like Dr. Alcala, Dr. Dioscoro Rabor, and Prof. Alfredo Y. Reyes. Dr. Chapman was a world-renown expert on Philippine ants, Dr. Rabor, a zoologist, was touted as the foremost Philippine Ornithologist; and Prof. Reyes emerged as an expert on Philippine skinks (locally known as tabili).

This year we continue to celebrate the Silliman spirit which has sprung forth a spirit of stewardship, and of excellence not just in the field of environmental advocacy, but across other areas of equal importance and relevance.

Since 1962, under the leadership of former Silliman president Dr. Cicero D. Calderon, the Outstanding Sillimanian Awards has honored Sillimanians who have enriched the world with their talents, expertise and service to humanity – all exhibiting admirable character, competence and faith in God. This year, we celebrate the accomplishments of four more outstanding Sillimanians who have reached their pinnacle of excellence.

Eduardo A. Bangayan is the 2009 Outstanding Sillimanian Awardee for Entrepreneurship. A man of integrity and perseverance, Bangayan did not become the business giant that he is now overnight. The value of hardship was deeply instilled in him when, as a college freshman in Silliman University, he had to support his family after his father suffered a stroke.

Assuming his new role as breadwinner for the family, he decided to learn copra trading on the side from a cousin. He got further involved in the business, marking the small beginnings of a man destined for bigger things. He balanced work and studies for four years, until he finally graduated in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. In 1975, he put up Square Traders Inc., a trading business which operated all over Davao. It proved to be a huge business, giving Mr. Bangayan his first million just a couple of years after graduation. Unfortunate circumstances led him to start all over again in Manila, where he organized the New Square Traders Corporation, which currently trades copra from all over the Philippines with foreign and local clients. Bangayan soon became the largest single copra trader in the Philippines. And expanded and diversified his investments in different industries. But this businessman does not only work with integrity and hard work. His life is evidence that he also worked with his heart.

Dr. Kenneth E. Bauzon is the 2009 Outstanding Sillimanian Awardee for Political Science. A man of intellect and a healthy drive to achieve, Dr. Bauzon pursued life in an unending quest for knowledge and responsible leadership early on. His first book, Liberalism and the Quest for Islamic Identity, published in 1990, was based on his previously written dissertation entitled “Islamic Nationalism in the Philippines: Reflections in Socio-Political Analysis,” which was funded by a grant from the Islamic and Arabian Development Studies of Duke University. His book was met with critical acclaim by many prominent scholars. Having completed his appointment at Old Dominion University, he landed a tenure-track position at Saint Joseph’s College in Brooklyn, New York, where he currently holds the rank of assistant professor.

Dr. Bauzon has edited several books, including Development and Demoralization of the Third World, Myths, Hopes and Realities, and Political Forecasting: History, Theory and Practice, among others. His expertise on U.S. foreign policy in Asia and the Pacific has also landed him guest appearances in both local and international news programs, including CNN. He is currently finishing a volume on multiculturalism in the United States as a product of his participation in a cross-disciplinary project under the direction of the late Dr. Tsuneo Ayabe, the Father of Japanese Anthropology.

Ambassador Mac Arthur F. Corsino is the 2009 Outstanding Sillimanian Awardee for  Foreign Service. Ambassador Corsino officially started his foreign service in 1987 when he started working as consul in the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. In 1992, he also occupied the post of first secretary and consul in the Philippine Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In 1994, he became the director of the Office of American Affairs in the Department of Foreign Affairs. In 1997, he was the minister and general consul of the Philippine Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. In 2004, he became the executive director of the Office of the United Nations and Other International Organizations under the Department of Foreign Affairs.

He was also the acting assistant secretary of the same office in 2005. He was also the minister plenipotentiary and consul general of the Philippine Embassy in Muscat, in the Sultanate of Oman. During his diplomatic commitments in the embassies in Oman, Turkey, and Bangladesh, he initiated awareness efforts to push for the human rights and dignity of Filipino overseas workers by assisting abused women OFWs and stranded seamen. He is currently the Philippine ambassador and extraordinary plenipotentiary to the Republic of Cuba, with concurrent jurisdiction over the Dominican Republic, the Republic of Haiti and Jamaica. In 1982, his book International Relations: The Case of the PKI Aidkit was published by the Institute of Asian Studies in Singapore.

Rev. Dr. Francisco D. Somera is the 2009 Outstanding Sillimanian Awardee for Military Chaplaincy. He graduated from Silliman in 1961 with a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, majoring in plant breeding, but decided not to pursue agriculture as a career, and shifted instead to a study of theology. Opportunity in the U.S. soon led Rev. Dr. Somera to serve as chaplain in the Juvenile Detention Home in Richmond in Virginia until 1994. With endorsement from the United Church of Christ, he was later commissioned as U.S. Army chaplain.

He served in that position until 2001.

Rev. Dr. Somera was also able to break through the glass ceiling in the U.S. Army Chaplaincy’s senior leadership echelon when he rose to the position of Colonel, having dutifully served his various assignments in administrative, managerial, and pastoral levels throughout his military career—which earned him the respect of his superiors. From 2001 until the present, he has served as pastor of the Christian Church—Disciples of Christ in Copperas Cove, Texas, where he currently resides with his wife Nelly. Rev. Dr. Somera was also recently elected as a member of the Copperas Cove, Texas City Council, which made him the first Asian-American elected to the body, the first Filipino-American elected to an office in the State of Texas, and the first Sillimanian elected to a political office in the United States.

(With reports from Anthony Gerard Odtohan and Deil Jossaine Galenzoga)