Lopez Group Chair: SU Campus is ‘Most Environmentally Friendly’
“I cannot think of a more pleasant environment in this country that is most conducive to serious study than the campus of Silliman University.”
These were the words of Mr. Oscar M. Lopez, Chairman of the Lopez Group of Companies during the formal turnover of the company’s donation of P3 million to the University. The amount establishes the Oscar M. Lopez Professorial Chair in Electrical Engineering at the College of Engineering and Design.
Mr. Lopez considered his donation as a gift on the occasion of his 80th birthday on April 19 from two of the companies of the Lopez Group: Energy Development Corporation (EDC) and First Gen Corporation. Both EDC and First Gen find environmental protection at the core of their corporate social responsibility programs.
The donation of Mr. Lopez has as much trace of his encounter with Silliman as a child as it does of his personal involvement in environmental initiatives, among them with Conservation International based in Washington, DC.
“Mention Silliman and I am reminded of the time I accompanied my late father here about 40 years ago on March 19, 1971 to be exact,” he said.
This was the time when Mr. Lopez accompanied his father, the late Don Eugenio Lopez, Sr., on his conferral by Silliman of the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa.
“I remember the pleasant boat ride that brought us here to Dumaguete from Iloilo City and the very pleasant and relaxing surroundings that made one feel like he is in harmony with Mother Nature,” he added.
In expressing how he is convinced that Silliman is the right recipient of his donation, Mr. Lopez cited the University’s clear environmental commitment in its Vision statement: "A leading Christian institution committed to total human development for the well-being of society and environment."
" I can think of no other university that gives special mention to the environment in its mission-vision statement,“ he said.
Mr. Lopez continued on establishing his affinity with Silliman through the Center for Tropical Conservation Studies (CenTrop). As the country’s first captive breeding center for the Philippine spotted deer which now hosts 20 animals and 24 plant species, CenTrop, he said, echoes his similar advocacy for the preservation of the diversity of flora and fauna worldwide.
As a tribute to his late father, Mr. Lopez briefly discussed the “virtue of keeping one’s word” – the meat of the message of Don Eugenio during his conferral at Silliman.
He relayed the story about his father’s acquisition in 1961 of Meralco, the country’s largest electricity distributor, where Mr. Tegen, the president of General Public Utilities that formerly owned Meralco, closed the deal with Don Eugenio based on a verbal agreement. This prevailed despite an offer from another party of USD5 million more than the Lopez group’s.
“My father cited Mr. Tegen as truly a man of integrity and character because when he was offered that bigger amount there had been no written contract… But Mr. Tegen’s word was like god. It was enough, and he stood by it.”
Mr. Lopez shared the thrusts of the Lopez Group of Companies through its various community projects and social engagements that give life to the final message of his father during his conferral: “…regenerate our country…drive away from our midst the big scoundrels in the government who are devouring our country and reducing its people to poverty and misery.”
In his later years, Mr. Lopez grew to know more about Silliman through his friendships with Sillimanians and those who have helped shaped the University. Among them was the late Silliman President Dr. Quintin Doromal, a personal friend and fellow Harvard graduate. Mr. Lopez was saddened by the death of Dr. Doromal who met a fatal car accident eight days after they were together at the wake of the wife of former Senator Jovito Salonga (in whose honor the Silliman University Dr. Jovito Salonga Center for Law and Development was named).
“King (Dr. Doromal) and I had many things in common. We were both Ilongos, he from Dumangas and I from Iloilo City. We both completed 80 years of age this year…We also shared the same commitment for conservation of natural resources,” he said. “It is why I want this contribution of the Lopez Group to Silliman to perpetuate our mutual love for the environment.”
A joint project of EDC and Firs Gen, the Professorial Chair will be awarded to a faculty at the College of Engineering and Design who has an established track record in publishing research or has significant discoveries or inventions related to energy engineering.
“It is my fondest hope that this Professorial Lopez Chair contribute to the cycle of progress and lead to a very productive and strategic partnership between the Lopez Group and Silliman University for many years to come,” Mr. Lopez said in closing.
Silliman University President Dr. Ben S. Malayang III and Board of Trustees Member Dr. Angel Alcala headed the delegation from the University that formally welcomed Mr. Lopez. Mr. Lopez was accompanied by his wife Mrs. Consuelo Lopez, his sons Mr. Federico Lopez (President and CEO of First Gen) and Mr. Benjamin Lopez (Vice President of First Philippine Holdings Corporation), and Mr. Paul Aquino, Vice Chairman and CEO of EDC, among others.
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Silliman Journal Tops CHED List of Research Publications
Out of 13 journals accredited by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for 2009-2012, the Silliman Journal ranks first.
The Silliman Journal is classified under “Category A”. Ranked under this category are journals that are included in the prestigious Reuters Master Journal (ISI) List. The Reuters Masters List selectively makes available links to research and other scientific publications from around the world.
Comprising the first five on the CHED list after Silliman's are the journals of University of Santo Tomas, University of San Carlos, and University of the Philippines-Los Baños (with two journals).
A biannual publication, the Silliman Journal is currently edited by College of Arts and Sciences Dean Dr. Margaret Helen Udarbe-Alvarez.
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3 Endangered Birds ‘Return Home’
Three endangered hornbills marked history as the first Philippine captive-bred bird species of its kind released into the wild by the Silliman University Center for Tropical Conservation Studies (CenTrop).
The male tarictic hornbills (Penelopides panini) were freed within the Balinsasayao-Twin Lakes Natural Park (BTLNP). Their parent hornbills come from the breeding facility of Negros Forest Ecological Foundation Inc. in Bacolod City and were later transferred to CenTrop.
Tarictic hornbills, also known as talusi, are naturally found only on the islands of the Visayas, such as Negros and Panay. They have become rare in Negros and even extinct on the islands of Cebu and Masbate which were once their homes. CenTrop is one of the few institutions in the Philippines that operate a captive breeding facility of this species.
Along with the hornbills, a male, 26-inch, adult sailfin lizard (Hydrosaurus pustulatus) was also released at BTLNP. The sailfin lizard was donated to the Center by its owners who could no longer keep the animal as a pet.
Animal reintroduction is a tool for biodiversity conservation. It is one way of re-establishing the native wildlife population of a certain species into their original place of habitation. Ideally, reintroduction of any captive-bred animal should be done at the earliest possible time when its “wild instinct” is still intact. It is said that the longer an animal stays in captivity, the greater is its probability of not being able to survive in the wild. The reintroduced three young hornbills are believed to easily adapt to their new environment and eventually assimilate with the native population around the Balinsasayao Twin Lakes area.
TV program, Born to be Wild, a nature and wildlife show of GMA 7 and winner of the Fr. Neri Satur Award for Environmental Heroism, documented the release of the tarictic hornbills and the salilfin lizard. They were joined by CenTrop staff: Jocelyn Elise Basa, Michael Alcala, Lou Jean Cerial and Alberto Inocencio; Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Park Superintendent Frank Compasion and DENR-City Environment and Natural Resources Officer Oscar Mongcopa and BTLNP forest wardens. (By Jocelyn Elise P. Basa, Robert S. Guino-o II, Michael Lawton R. Alcala)
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Book Launched with SU Ups Climate Change Reg'l Info Sharing
A book that features regional perspectives of climate change and its link to biodiversity derived from a conference co-sponsored by Silliman University is sparking interest in knowledge sharing across the Asian region.
“Moving Forward: Southeast Asian Perspective on Climate and Biodiversity” is a 259-page book with papers by 18 authors from around the region. It draws its major findings from country papers presented during the "2008 International Conference on Biodiversity and Climate Change" organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in partnership with the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity, World Agroforestry Centre, Biodiversity International and Silliman University.
The book highlights the link between climate change and biodiversity in the context of agriculture and food security. It provides an in-depth analysis of the relationships among poverty, economic growth, and access and benefit-sharing regimes of valuable biodiversity as well as policy and institutional environments to promote synergy needed toward enhancing climate change mitigation and adaptation.
News citing the book came out following the signing of a recent partnership targeted at enriching a regional database on climate change and benefiting various sectors, from policy makers to farmers. The partnership was forged between the United Nations Development Program-Alternative Learning Mechanism and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization-Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture.
Silliman has been active in environmental programs, including initiatives towards addressing climate change through multi-sectoral engagements and information dissemination. The University has been instrumental in the establishment of the Negros Oriental Advisory Council on Climate Change and has hosted international conferences on climate change and related issues. At present, it handles a youth project for the World Bank, in partnership with Smart Communications, University of San Carlos and Central Philippine University, on developing household solutions to climate change.
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