Good afternoon, my fellow #ProudViscans, and Happy 100 Days to VSU Grand Centennial Celebration!

We are all very fortunate that we’re all here witnessing history today. Many great men and women can be credited with where we are now, and this event is a form of honoring them because at 100 years old, the Visayas State University remains a strong institution. We undoubtedly belong to the roster of top universities in the Philippines.

Let’s all give a hand to our beloved VSU and the many #ProudViscans who made all these possible!

A lot of our young students right now would probably not recognize the photo that I will show to you on screen.

Yes, that is the old Administration Building that can be seen high and mighty from the VSU Beach. Its design beautifully follows the contours of Mount Pangasugan. The current structure that you are seeing now, while equally iconic, is an expansion of the old Admin Building that used to tower our sprawling campus.

We lost the old Admin Building when a fire broke out in 1994. There was even a running joke back then that the fire was started by the male figure you see in the Search For Truth statue that you fondly call Malakas as he forgot to extinguish his torch. 

When the new Administration Building that you are seeing now rose from the ashes in 1995, the Amaranth made an editorial cartoon where Malakas said, “Why are you putting the Admin Building closer to me? When that thing goes on fire again, you will return the blame to me.”

I also would like to show you another picture that can remind us of our colorful and rich past.

Do you know that many previous alumni who were way ahead of you believed that being able to kiss and drink from this iconic Fountain Frog would give you good luck in your exams? I’m sure that by telling you this now, a lot of you will rush to the Lower Campus to do this.

This urban legend that we have is also similar to your current belief that it’s a no-no to take a photo of you with the Search for Truth statue because it will bring you so much bad luck that you won’t be able to complete your degree here in VSU.

That’s why, a lot of our graduating students will only have the courage to have a selfie with the Search for Truth statue once you are already holding your respective clearance.

I also would like to share another photo as a reminder that once, way before the Sablay of the University of the Philippines was introduced in the 1990s, we already had our ‘Togarong’.

This unique academic regalia is a fusion of the words ‘Toga’ and ‘Barong’ because the main fabric used in designing this is derived from abaca making it light, breezy, and fresh. 

This makes it very fit for our tropical and humid climate unlike the popular black academic regalia you see today that was originally made for temperate and cold regions of the world.

There are many unique stories that I can add as a #ProudViscan that I wish to share with all of you. But I’d like to park that so as not to spoil our Centennial Book that we will soon be launching this year.

Our story as #ProudViscan is unique and something that we can all be truly proud of. I’m sure that our students are excited about the festivities and the many social activities that we will soon be doing to celebrate our centennial year.

But I’d like to give a reminder to everyone that more than the festivities, our pride is mainly anchored on our academic and research excellence that brought us so many accolades over the past years.

Before the year ended, we were all so proud of the collective achievement of the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry for bringing in 2 topnotchers in chemistry and 1 for the chemical technician licensure examination.

My hope for all of us is that as we celebrate our 100th-year anniversary, all of us will work harder to bring greater glory and honor to our ever-dearest VSU. Raising our university flag higher is our greatest tribute to this institution that we all love.

Welcome to our 100 Days Countdown to our University Centennial Celebration. Mabuhay ang Visayas State University. 

We are all #ProudViscans! Daghang salamat kanatong tanan.

[This message was delivered during the 100-Day Countdown to VSU Centennial held on January 18, 2024, at the VSU Amphitheater.]

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