SU celebrates 17 faculty and staff retirees’ decades-long service
(left to right) Lolita N. Paeste and Nenith P. Calibo from the Silliman University Library System; Loyda T. Fontelo from the Graduate Programs; Alberto E. Inocencio from the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) – Biology Department; Daniel D. Flores Jr. and Herme B. Cuerda from the Food Services; Cornelia T. Bomediano from the Elementary School; Nona D. Magtolis from the College of Education; and Dr. Socorro Z. Parco from the CAS – Biology Department are nine of the 17 honored Faculty and Staff Retirees of Silliman University for SY 2023-2024 present during the ceremony.
Silliman University (SU) gathered seventeen (17) Faculty and Staff Retirees of SY 2023-2024 for an afternoon of celebration in honor of their years of commitment and hard work on November 22, 2024, at the Silliman University Hall.
Ten of the 17 honored retirees from the 2023-2024 roster present during the ceremony were Dr. Socorro Z. Parco and Alberto E. Inocencio from the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) – Biology Department; Lolita N. Paeste and Nenith P. Calibo from the Library System; Atty. Myles Nicholas G. Bejar from the Office of the General Counsel; Cornelia T. Bomediano from the Elementary School; Loyda T. Fontelo from the Graduate Programs; Nona D. Magtolis from the College of Education; and Herme B. Cuerda and Daniel D. Flores Jr. from the Food Services.
The nine honored retirees (back) pose with (front, left-right) Dr. Warlito S. Caturay Jr., Office of Media and Public Affairs chief; Dr. Ferdinand M. Mangibin, School of Public Affairs and Governance dean and concurrent Graduate Programs officer-in-charge; Azil E. Apla-on, SU Staff Association (SUSA) vice president; Dr. Betty Cernol McCann, SU president; Dr. Lourdes Angela F. Piñero, OD-HRM chief; Dr. Gina F. Bonior, College of Education dean; and Rev. Jonathan R. Pia, SU Church senior pastor, during the ceremony.
Meanwhile, Regina S. Flores from the CAS – Biology Department; Asst. Prof. Phoebe A. Tan from the CAS Anthropology-Sociology Department; Isabel S. Mariño from the Library System; Semper Lumine E. Gaturian from the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Research; Atty. Eduardo T. Sedillo from the College of Law; Dr. Gloria G. Futalan from the College of Business Administration; and Carol R. Bartolata from the Business and Finance office couldn’t attend for personal reasons.
Dr. Betty Cernol McCann, SU president, shares her words of gratitude to the retirees.
Dr. Betty Cernol McCann, SU president, described the event as “a joyful occasion” and a “privilege” to be able to gather and celebrate all 17 honorees.
“Thank you very much and congratulations as you step into an exciting new chapter of your lives. You all have inspired us with your commitment. You shaped the legacy of this university, and you will always have a lasting impact on everyone you’ve worked with,” McCann told the honorees.
In her response on behalf of the retirees, Lolita N. Paeste described how some of her colleagues and co-retirees started their journeys with SU as students just like herself.
Lolita N. Paeste, in her response on behalf of her colleagues and fellow retirees, recalls her years at Silliman.
She recalled her Silliman experience as a college student, finishing her Secondary Education degree (major in Library Science) in 1985 until she was offered employment the year after. While still a student, she’d been a student assistant in various SU offices including the Registrar’s Office, Arts and Sciences Guidance Office, the Languages Department, and the Library—until she became one of its librarians years later. It has been 37 years since she’s served her alma mater.
“We are so glad and thankful to Silliman University for what we are now,” Paeste said.
Paeste also thanked her mentors from these offices and departments. Advised by the late secretary of the College of Education to go beyond being a student assistant, she applied and was accepted for a scholarship from the Uytengsu Foundation, allowing her to focus on her education.
Years later, she was transferred from the High School library to the College of Agriculture library. It was during this time that she was granted the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA) Scholarship to pursue her Master’s in Library and Information Sciences at the University of San Carlos, Cebu City.
In 2012, she began to work in the university’s Main Library and taught student librarians. All this, she said, “while [being] able to spend time with my family. The university provided a family cottage and scholarships for my children until they have graduated.”
Most of all, she developed and gained close-knit relationships with some faculty and staff whom she considers family, some of whom are from her Library family.
“[God] provided us [with] a university from which we had grown as a person in all areas of our lives. This institution was borne from God’s heart,” she added.
She also encouraged her fellow retirees to “not limit yourselves just because you have retired already. There are opportunities that lie ahead of you [that] would enable you to help others, little opportunities that can make a great difference in others’ lives” and to “slow down and enjoy the time and blessings that life has offered you.”
This event, hosted by the SU Organizational Development-Human Resource Management (OD-HRM) under the leadership of Dr. Lourdes Angela F. Piñero, OD-HRM chief, is a gathering for these dedicated retirees who, according to her, “have given to Silliman a good number of their lives’ years.”
She recalled her Silliman experience as a college student, finishing her Secondary Education degree (major in Library Science) in 1985 until she was offered employment the year after. While still a student, she’d been a student assistant in various SU offices including the Registrar’s Office, Arts and Sciences Guidance Office, the Languages Department, and the Library—until she became one of its librarians years later. It has been 37 years since she’s served her alma mater.
“We are so glad and thankful to Silliman University for what we are now,” Paeste said.
Paeste also thanked her mentors from these offices and departments. Advised by the late secretary of the College of Education to go beyond being a student assistant, she applied and was accepted for a scholarship from the Uytengsu Foundation, allowing her to focus on her education.
Years later, she was transferred from the High School library to the College of Agriculture library. It was during this time that she was granted the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA) Scholarship to pursue her Master’s in Library and Information Sciences at the University of San Carlos, Cebu City.
In 2012, she began to work in the university’s Main Library and taught student librarians. All this, she said, “while [being] able to spend time with my family. The university provided a family cottage and scholarships for my children until they have graduated.”
Most of all, she developed and gained close-knit relationships with some faculty and staff whom she considers family, some of whom are from her Library family.
“[God] provided us [with] a university from which we had grown as a person in all areas of our lives. This institution was borne from God’s heart,” she added.
She also encouraged her fellow retirees to “not limit yourselves just because you have retired already. There are opportunities that lie ahead of you [that] would enable you to help others, little opportunities that can make a great difference in others’ lives” and to “slow down and enjoy the time and blessings that life has offered you.”
This event, hosted by the SU Organizational Development-Human Resource Management (OD-HRM) under the leadership of Dr. Lourdes Angela F. Piñero, OD-HRM chief, is a gathering for these dedicated retirees who, according to her, “have given to Silliman a good number of their lives’ years.”
Dr. Lourdes Angela F. Piñero, OD-HRM chief, welcomes the honored retirees and their family and friends to the celebration.
“As bittersweet [as] these occasions are, we are excited to be able to honor the remarkable parts they made in their journey with Silliman. We all know that we wouldn’t be where we are now without the effort and energy that they persistently shared,” Piñero shared in her welcome message.
Speaking on behalf of the SU Staff Association (SUSA) president, Azil E. Apla-on, SUSA vice president, closed the ceremony by thanking all the retires for their “unwavering dedication and faithful service” to the institution which “have been nothing short of a divine blessing to the institution and to all those whose lives you have touched.”
“Today is a reminder that everything we celebrate—your achievement, your service, and your legacy—have been possible [with] the blessing of God. It is He who has guided your journey, strengthened you through challenges, and filled your hearts with the passion to serve.”
Azil E. Aplaon, SUSA vice president, closes the ceremony with words of gratitude to the retirees.
The event featured a tribute performance by the SU Men’s Glee Club under the direction of Asst. Prof. Nathaniel R. Bicoy and a short video tribute prepared by the OD-HRM. John C. Rubio from the SU Senior High School Department hosted the celebratory event.
Other members of the SU community present were Rev. Jonathan R. Pia, SU Church senior pastor; Dr. Gina F. Bonior, College of Education (CoE) dean; Dr. Jasper Eric C. Catan, CoE Teacher Education Department chair; Dr. Ferdinand M. Mangibin, School of Public Affairs and Governance dean and concurrent Graduate Programs officer-in-charge; Dr. Warlito S. Caturay Jr., Office of Media and Public Affairs chief; Asst. Prof. Michael Lawton R. Alcala, CAS – Biology Department chair together with the Biology Department faculty and staff; and family members and friends of some of the honored retirees.
