Greetings…

“Where your heart is, is where your home is.”

I’ve said same phrase two years ago in welcoming the alumni and I think it is worth mentioning again in this occasion.  Your coming back to our Alma Mater means your hearts are with Visayas State University. For that, we are all thankful. Welcome home! Welcome to your Alma Mater!

While you were away, let me assure you that your Alma Mater is in good hands. The quality of our instruction continued to soar high. Thanks to Dr. Edgardo E. Tulin’s leadership.

Our first batch of Civil Engineers had 100% passing rate in the PRC Board Examination, our senior students in Mechanical Engineering had 100% passing rate in PRC Board Examination for Plant Mechanics, and our Nursing graduates had 94.2% passing rate making us one of the best schools for nursing in the country.  It is also worth noting that we had board topnotchers in the PRC Board Examinations.  For Agriculture, we had Mr. Nick Oswald Borines (3^rd Place); for Agricultural Engineering, we had Engr. Lemar N. Bacordo (3^rd Place); and Geodetic Engineering, we had Engr. Rey Mark L. Alfante (6^th Place) and Engr. Arnulfo R. Antolihao (8^th Place), whose graduates always landed among the ten topnotchers since we produced the pioneer graduates. These are just some results of the board examinations our graduates took.

On programs, our Agriculture Program attained Level IV—the highest level of accreditation. We have the highest number of Level III accredited programs among SUCs. Our University continues to be an ecologically friendly University. In 2013, our University was hailed as the Most Eco-Friendly/Most Sustainable Campus in the Philippines.

On research and extension, we have not experienced a year like this—when external funds for research is on the highest in the history of this institution. Thanks to Dr. Othello B. Capuno, our VP for Research and Extension. We are now implementing relevant researches and extension programs in partnership with international agencies, local government units, civil societies, and line agencies. We are helping our brothers and sisters that were severely affected by Typhoon Yolanda and succeeding typhoons by rebuilding their lives and livelihoods.

On resource generation, last year, and we expect the same this year, could be better. Our businesses were and are doing well.  Thanks to Dr. Victor B. Asio, VP for Planning, Resource Generation and External Affairs.  We have now, undoubtedly, become an event and tourist destination, an R&R University—meaning, a research and resort University.

On facility development, you just have to go around the campus to see and believe.  We owe this to the leadership of Dr. Roberto C. Guarte, VP for Administration and Finance.

This afternoon, we launched the new function hall of our VSU Hostel. We will also be constructing a restaurant next to the Hostel so that the VSU Hostel occupants need not walk to the Guesthouse to eat or to the Center for Continuing Education for meetings. We will renovate the rooms so you will not try to outdo each other anymore to get rooms in VSU Apartelle.

We also had the newly renovated VSU Convention Hall blessed. The building has undergone renovation in looks and now better floors. The rest rooms will also be renovated to meet international standards. To be truly a convention facility, another airconditioned break-up room will be added.

We are constructing an Olympic size swimming pool at the Molave Hills, two new basketball courts, two new volleyball courts, two new tennis courts, and host of other facilities for sports events in our upper campus sports complex. We will be more than ready to host the SCUAA this coming October.

We are working on the final phase of our new library. We have renovated and continue converting the greenhouses along ITEEM into classrooms. We are adding new dormitory and studio apartments. We are adding another building for our engineering programs.

We have other projects to implement this year, but we don’t have enough time to discuss each one of them.

So folks, rest assured that your University, your home, is in good hands. As much as you love this University, we who are left behind also do.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the alumni for your trust and support to this stewardship.  As great rivers are formed by small tributaries, our University today is a product of contribution of each one of us, of each one in the University, and even the community. It was truly an eight-year period of shared stewardship and all indications seem to suggest that we succeeded.

(but) Like water in the river, it has to flow out of the sea, or else the river will stagnate and stink.

My term will end this coming October. I have served notice to our BOR and I can’t wait a day longer to go back to research and farming.

Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you from the bottom of the hearts of all the present administrators of the Visayas State U.

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