Magdamo Couple, PhilSouth Construction to Receive Prestigious Award
The Order of Horace B. Silliman will be conferred on couple Mr. and Mrs. Rolando V. Magdamo and the Philsouth Properties and Development Corporation, through its general manager Mr. Luisito M.Tijing, on August 25 at the Silliman Hall.
Given during the Founders Day celebration of Silliman University, the award is a prestigious recognition conferred upon individuals, families and organizations whose blessings shared with Silliman have enable the University to improve its services and facilities, broaden its reach in the community, and make available Silliman education to more academically deserving but financially challenged students. It was created in honor of Dr. Horace B. Silliman, a philanthropist of Cohoes, New York, who donated the initial sum of $10,000 to establish what then was Silliman Institute in 1901.
Mr. Rolando and Mrs. Helga Vogt Magdamo funded the renovation of the Acacia Cottage which will be inaugurated and renamed Guillermo and Mercedes Magdamo Hall, in honor of their parents, on August 25, 2017. Apart from this, they also funded the establishment of the Presbyterian Mission Garden and the Silliman Carillon Music System. As a son of two Silliman educators, Mr. Magdamo spent his childhood in the University grounds before he went to explore the world. He is now back in Dumaguete with his wife, Helga, and they made it their mission to give younger Sillimanians a reminder of the spirit of giving and the heart for others – what the Magdamo couple believe they are in the world for.
PhilSouth Properties and Development Corporation shouldered the construction of an access road to where the expanded facility in Valencia of the Center for Tropical Conservation Studies of Silliman University is located. Philsouth is the developer of Tierra Alta, an upscale residential village overlooking Dumaguete. Prompted by its general manager’s strong affiliation with Silliman, PhilSouth’s first project seen to also give back to the University was the Silliman Heights, a subdivision independently managed by the SUCC Multipurpose Cooperative and occupied mostly by faculty, staff and retirees of Silliman University. Mr. Tijing graduated from Silliman with degree in Business Administration in 1994. He started his construction business in 1997.
