Genre, the university's central student publication reaped a total of 27 group awards and several individual awards this morning at the 2010 Association of Tertiary Press Advisers of Region III (ATSPAR III) Regional Press Conference held in Abucay, Bataan.

Erson C. Magsakay, a third year MassCom major passed two rigorous screenings to qualify for the third and final selection process for the 13th National Ayala Young Leaders Congress, according to an official communication received by the Office of the Student Affairs yesterday.

Magsakay, who was Wesleyan's lone qualifier, was among 153 successful nominees out of 722 applicants from colleges and universities all over the country.

He is scheduled to be interviewed on November 24 at Ayala Tower 1, Makati City. The set of interviews will be conducted by a panel comprising of senior executives from the Ayala Group of Companies.

Out of the 150 hopefuls, only 80 student leaders are to be selected to join the AYLC summit at Alfonso, Cavite on February 8 to 11, 2011.

"It is overwhelming. Speechless ako, hindi ako makapagsalita noong sinabi sa akin. Sabi ko sa sarili ko dapat ko pang paghusayan," Magsakay said in an interview.

The AYLC is the flagship program of the Ayala Group of Companies dedicated for youth development to prepare them for nation-building.

President MGP appointed a new administrative head for the Human Resources Development Department and another for the newly-created Office of the University Accreditation Program earlier this month.

Dr. Erlinda C. Mones was appointed new HRDD director while Dr. Apolinar M. Alfonso was made the first director of the University Accreditation Program.

Dr. Mones earned her Ed. D. from Wesleyan, where she also received her M.A. in Educational Management and her undergraduate in BS Social Work. She has been a DSWD supervisor in Pampanga, and a Child Development coordinator at WUP.

She taught at WUP’s High School department, College of Social Work and College of Arts and Sciences, and in 1990 was appointed director of the Guidance and Placement Office until 2006, when she was appointed director of the Human Resource Development Department up until May 31, 2009.

In November 2010, she was reappointed as head of the office.

Dr. Alfonso graduated from the Philippine School of Business Administration as an Accounting major, and then pursued his MBA and later, his Ed.D. at WUP. He passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers (1990) and worked as faculty member at the General de Jesus College (where he became head of the Commerce Department) and The Good Samaritan College in the 1980s.

In 1987, Dr. Alfonso began teaching at WUP’s College of Business and Accountancy (then called the College of Commerce) and then served as the assistant dean of the same college from 2005-2006.

He was appointed dean of the college and served up until 2010.

OPERTA, WUP's official entry to the 2010 Ecijas Film Festival will be shown on Friday, November 19, 2010 at the Megacenter the Mall Cinemas 3 and 4.

Written and directed by Dr. Gener Subia, Operta is a story about juvenile dreams, struggles and sacrifice. It stars Von Patrick San Pedro and Famela Marisse Tan, along with an entire cast comprising of Lee Justin Mangundayao, Roxanne Mari Tiongson, Sherwin William Vidon, Bryan Angelo Wy, Anna Aurea Ramos, Cesiah Garcia, Aldrin Geronimo, Rein Jesol Parinas, Florencio Dela Cruz, Trizian Gloria Lacson, Alfredo Sarmiento, Jr., Victor Marcos and Sharly Timoteo.

Cinematography was done by ICT's Michael Jacinto, while the theme song was performed by WUP Chorale's Citadel Bitangcol with music composed by Rafael Ramirez.

The film is a production of the WUP Scholars Organization for Worthy Endeavors and Reformative Skills (SOWERS).

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HEADLINES

Wesleyan graduate places 10th in NLE; WUP top performer among NE schools
A Wesleyan alumna made it to the top ten of this year’s July Nursing Licensure Examinations, according to official results issued by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) in Manila late last month.

Top personae grace flag raising ceremonies
Top-caliber personalities from different sectors graced last semester’s flag-raising ceremonies as guest speaker at the University Gymnasium.

WUP donates computer, tech’l assistance to NEPPO
The Palomo administration last October 1 donated a complete set of desktop computer to the Nueva Ecija Provincial Police Office (NEPPO) to affirm the continuing partnership between Wesleyan University – Philippines (WUP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

CHRIM Bags 18 medals; is top 4 in culinary contest
Thirty eight participants from the College of HRIM competed last September 2-4 in the culinary skills competition held at the Baguio Country Club, Camp John Hay and SM Baguio.

Capping and pinning held
WUP’s College of Nursing batch 2013 conducted its Capping, Pinning, Dedication and Candle Lighting Ceremonies last September 17 at the Nueva Ecija Convention Center in Palayan City.


More Headlines

• ‘Alumni Centre’ set to open along Maharlika Highway
• College of HRIM Excels in Mimosa Culinary Showdown
• North gate makes WUP closer to highway
• MGP addresses IYF SoKor world camp; visits Seoul Alma Mater
• Wesleyan alumna raises RP flag at 14th WCOPA
• Wesleyans head to Nat’l Research Confab
• CAS spearheads Buwan ng Wika
• WU-P hosts APCAS regional convention
• Librarians honored in prov’l search
• Wesleyan hosts publishers in library book fair
• Jaguars clutch basketball c’ship crown by nose’s lead
• CoN extends Palaro streak to 6 years
• United candidates prevail in synchronized polls
• 12 new CPAs honored
• WUP a Smart partner in technology education
• President Palomo attends Gore lecture
• Genre bares 2010-2011 editorial board
• Mass Com, Psych majors undergo Summer OJT
  

ON THE COVER
One Year On: MGP Admin Shows Strength Even in Rough Waters
WUP’s presidency is a job that requires great deal of patience and persistence, most often in the face of challenges lurking in the Wesleyan culture.


PEOPLE
Atty. JV Bautista: Profile of a Human Rights Lawyer
As leader of Nueva Ecija’s top learning institution, President MGP surrounded himself with distinguished advisers to aid him in implementing university policies. One of them is his external legal counsel, human rights lawyer and former party-list representative and Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino senatorial candidate Atty. JV Bautista.

Meet the New Men and Women Behind the Helm
Some 15 new appointments have been made by the Palomo administration to fill in the managerial and administrative positions vacated by retiring deans and directors this year.


SPEECHES
Envisioning God’s Reign and Transforming Society Through WUP
This is the transcript of the State of the University Address of President Manuel G. Palomo delivered last July 23, 2010, Wesleyan University Gymnasium.

Some 15 new appointments have been made by the Palomo administration to fill in the managerial and administrative positions vacated by retiring deans and directors this year.

In appointments made effective June 1, 2010, President Manuel G. Palomo installed 14 new deans, directors and program heads followed by another appointments for the newly-created Office of Scholarships and Scholar’s Affairs.

The President has also recently designated officers in-charge of the offices of the vice president for academic affairs, accounting and the registry department.

Selections were made based on strict qualifications on academic or administrative experiences and highest educational attainments.

Following are the latest additions to the management team:



An AB-English and Social Sciences graduate from the University of Sto. Tomas, Dr. Pascual took her Master of Arts in English at the Araullo University in Cabanatuan City in 1977, and her Doctorate in Education at WUP in 1997. She began her academic career as a high school teacher at the Immaculate Conception Academy in Boac, Marinduque from 1963-1965, and began teaching college as a social sciences professor at the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology’s (NEUST) College of Engineering in 1982. She was NEUST’s Dean of Graduate School prior to becoming WUP’s acting VPAA.





Mr.Junard C. Benitez

An AB Economics graduate, Mr. Benitez pursued his Bachelor of Laws at the University of Manila and his MBA at the Philippine Christian University. He began as an extension and education officer at Cabanatuan City’s Department of Natural Resources. He was college instructor at Aldersgate College from 1983 to 1988 and then went to Manila to work as part-time professor at the University of the East. In January 1995, he was made Assistant to the Vice President of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, where he also taught from 1988-2004. His entry point at Wesleyan was in June 2004 when he was appointed Personnel and Support Services director. In 2007 he became Human Resources Development officer of the WUGGH, before becoming WUP’s HRD director on June 1, 2010. Aside from being a corporate member of the YMCA of Manila, Sir Junard has also been national president of the YMCA of Manila’s Association of College Club Advisers of the Philippines, as well as president of the National Association of Delegates’ Advisers to the Rizal Institute from 1996-1997.





Mrs. Emma V. Villaroman
Head, WUPCARE

Prof. Villaroman finished her BS Nursing degree and her Master of Arts in Nursing from Wesleyan University - Philippines. She has completed about 60 units of her Ph. D. in Psychological Guidance at the Araullo University – PHINMA Education Network and has passed its comprehensive exam. A registered nurse, she first worked at WUP as clinical instructor from 1986-2003. She was RLE coordinator at the same school from 2003-2006, Chief Nurse of the WUP Cardiovascular and Medical Center (now the Wesleyan University General Hospital and Cardiovascular Center or WUGHCC) and OIC-Dean of WUP’s College of Nursing before being appointed WUPCARE Director.




Rev. Dr. Rodel C. Layugan

At 40, Dr. Layugan is a relatively young chaplain. He hails from Nueva Vizcaya, where he finished his AB in English Literature from Aldersgate University. He received his Masters in Divinity from the UTS in 2004 and his Doctor of Ministry in Church Leadership and Administration from the Philippine Christian University in 2006. He was ordained minister by the United Methodist Church in 1992, served as part-time instructor at Aldersgate College from 2006-2009, as OIC of the Aldersgate Divinity School from 2006-2007, and as school director of the Maddela Beatitudes School from 2009-2010.





Dr. Melania C. Cenon

Dr. Cenon took courses on midwifery and nursing from the Good Samaritan Colleges and Nueva Ecija Colleges. She received her Bachelor of Laws from the Araullo University, graduating Cum Laude in 2002. Later on she finished her Ph. D. in Educational Management from the same university and her Master of Arts in Nursing (major in Administration of Nursing School and Nursing Services) from the MV Gallego Colleges. She possesses a long track record in the nursing profession, having been head nurse of the Good Samaritan Hospital and Al Mohammeda Health Center (Saudi Arabia) as well as charge nurse of Lefleur Greenwood Hospital, Promise Specialty Hospital and the Parkview Regional Hospital in the United States. Her entry to the academe began when she was appointed OIC of the AU College of Nursing in 1992. The next year she became the AU School of Midwifery’s principal, and three years later was appointed Dean of AU’s College of Nursing. She was the dean-at-large of PHINMA Education Network’s Nursing Program and was also dean of the University of Pangasinan’s (Dagupan City) Health Cluster prior to joining the Wesleyan family this year.





Prof. Cristy M. Fernando

The very youthful Ma’am Cristy has spent much of her early career as teacher at Wesleyan’s Elementary Department. She finished her Bachelor in Elementary Education from WUP in 1998 and her Master of Arts in Educational Management from the Araullo University just recently. She takes charge of the Elementary Department replacing the retiring Prof. Mildred T. Ancheta.








Prof. Henry Cocoy D. Nacpil

An AB Pscyhology alumnus from De La Salle-Dasmarinas, Prof. Nacpil finished his Master of Science in Educational Measurement and Evaluation at DLSU-Taft in 2002, and is currently taking up his MA. Ed. in Guidance and Counselling at Wesleyan. He is ripened by his experiences working for the Center for Educational Measurement. He has been working at Wesleyan since 2000 as university psychometrician and then as part-time faculty before being appointed OIC of the Guidance Office in 2006.







A young achiever, Dr. Subia has collected a total of five licenses in the fields of engineering, teaching and civil service. He was a 10th placer in the Sub-Professional Civil Service Examination (Paper and Pencil Test), and a topnotcher in the Professional Civil Service Examination (Computer-Assisted Test). Aside from this he is also a licensed teacher, a registered electrical engineer, and a registered master electrician. An Electrical Engineering alumnus from the Tarlac State University, he completed his M.A.Ed. in Mathematics from WUP and his Ph. D. in Mathematics Education from NEUST. He also finished his M.A. in Psychology from the Philippine Statesman College, in which he was granted a High Academic Distinction (an honor equivalent to magna cum laude). He has authored numerous books, modules and reviewers on mathematics and statistics and has conducted more than 20 researches. He spoke and presented statistical papers at many local, regional and national research fora. He has taught at the M. V. Gallego Foundation Colleges, AMA Computer College (Head, Engineering Department) and Honorato C. Perez Memorial Science High School. He is also a LET reviewer, as well as an adviser and thesis statistician of various graduate school students.

It is indeed a very generous, very kind introduction. Thank you very much.

In the past, whenever in an occasion like this I was introduced, they would only read something in the paper and that was it. Today the power of technology has added vigor and power to the introduction of the president. Thank you, the Department of Information and Communication Technology.

I was so impressed a moment ago on how we did the first part of this President’s Convocation. It is so different from the way we did it a year ago. Thank you so much to the man behind it, the youngest dean of student affairs of the university – Cocoy – thank you so much.

My dear college students and friends, last July 11th - it was a Sunday - your president spoke before more than three thousand young university students from fifteen countries of the world, as I was invited by the International Youth Fellowship in their 2010 World Camp held in the southern city of Korea – Busan City – which is the place where the biggest assembly plant for Hyundai Corporation is located. Speaking to the young generation of the world that day, I was so excited, I was so inspired, that in the end of my visit the founding father of that international youth organization invited your president to speak to their future world camps all over the world. Yes, I was so excited and inspired before more than three thousand university students, but there is nothing that will compare to the feeling that now I have, speaking to my own family, the Wesleyan University family.

And so today, it is my great honor to stand before you after thirteen months of being president of this university. It was an experience thirteen months ago that I would never forget. For all of you students, faculty, deans, department heads, community leaders and friends and sympathizers of this university gathered together in that unusual day not only to proclaim and reclaim their faith in Wesleyan University but rather to declare to the world that this university, though non-sectarian, is truly owned by the United Methodist Church of the Philippines.

Since that time, men and women of Wesleyan University, you students included, have achieved wonderful things through our teamwork at every level. By working together, we have demonstrated unsurpassed creativity, unheard-of innovation and almost unlimited passion and energy for our university. And in that process, we, together, redefine and reshape how Wesleyan University should be managed consistent with the original vision of our founding fathers and better-prepared to meet the challenges of the present.

There are too many of these people who cooperated and joined me in this initial effort. But I want to publicly say that it has been their dedication to scholarship, service and character that has made our continued growth and development possible. So today, as we all gather and recommit our dedication to these familiar Wesleyan guiding lights, what we really are talking about are these men and women, our faculty and staff, our deans and department heads, the workhorses and engine to growth and development. I may therefore request the entire faculty of this university, and staff, please rise to be recognized by your family members, all faculty and staff.

Kayo ang naging katulong ko sa lahat ng mga pagbabago na aking sinisikap na ipatupad sa nakaraang labingtatlong buwan. Salamat sa inyo. Palakpakan natin silang muli.

And of course, the people who vigorously supported the vision-keeper of the university, the deans and department heads, without them I can do nothing. At this time, please rise, deans and department heads.

Kayo ang aking gabay, kayo ang pundasyon ng lahat ng aking ginagawa. Utang na loob ko sa inyo ang mga pagbabagong ipinatutupad nating lahat. Mga minamahal kong kamag-aral, palakpakan natin silang lahat. Salamat po.

And of course, as the chief executive officer of this institution, I am only here to execute the proud vision crafted by our honorable Board of Trustees... Palakpakan po natin ang members ng ating Board of Trustees.

The Wesleyan family’s commitment to strengthen this noble institution has not only made the past less than two years meaningful for me. It has made them generally enjoyable. I enjoy every minute of serving you my dear family.

As we continuously embark to a world of work ahead, let us now review that commitment and rededicate our efforts to meeting the challenges that lie ahead.

Now, think about this, my dear young students, think about this: why would thousands of bright, rich and sophisticated students who are readily admissible to the best public universities choose instead to pay perhaps five times more to attend Wesleyan University-Philippines? Why? Well, why do people choose to pay five million pesos for a Mercedez Benz when they can pay a million pesos for a Toyota?

The answer is simple; they are convinced they are getting higher quality and greater value for their money. And why do so many good students choose to come to Wesleyan University, quality as evidenced by us being the only autonomous university in Nueva Ecija. And I would like to say with pride and confidence that Wesleyan University is now the biggest and the best private university northeast of Manila.

At dahil sa inyong desisyon na piliin ang Wesleyan University bilang inyong pangalawang tahanan, at ipailalim ang inyong sarili sa pangangalaga ng mga pinili ninyong pangalawang magulang — dahil sa desisyong iyan pinasasalamatan ko kayong lahat at ipinangangako ko sa inyong lahat na hindi namin kayo kailanman bibiguin. Sa inyong lahat na mga mag-aaral na naririto, hinihiling ko na magsitayo kayong lahat. Maraming maraming salamat sa inyo.

Above all, I believe our students and their parents are attracted to the values on which Wesleyan University is predicated. And of course, extend to your parents, to your immediate family the gratitude and thanks of the whole Wesleyan community for helping you decide where to pursue your collegiate education, including secondary and elementary education. Iparating ninyo sa kanila ang lubos na pasasalamat ng buong adminitrasyon ng Wesleyan University sa pangunguna ng kanyang Board of Trustees, sa kanilang pagtulong sa inyong mahalagang desisyon na dito simulan ang paghahanda ng inyong kinabukasan sa hinaharap na panahon.
What are those ideals of the university that serve as our guiding lights?

First, we are committed to the development of our students as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of human mind and spirit. Wesleyan is non-stock, non-profit, co-curricular, non-sectarian and an autonomous university. As such we pursue with vigor and determination that which we are committed to care, and to my care as the vision-keeper, to accomplish our vision which states, “We envision God’s reign through a Christian institution of learning inspired by Methodist tradition for the transformation of society.”

Second, we are committed to striving for scholarship, service and character, and excellence in teaching, research, patient care, and public service. In those areas we may not be the only one, but we shall strive each and everyday to be the number one. Modesty aside, Wesleyan is now the premier educational outpost in the province of Nueva Ecija, and one of the only three campuses in the entire Central Luzon. Thanks to the many invaluable assistance we get from our community, the indomitable spirit of our faculty and staff who are all obsessed “...in tearing students’ minds to pieces and putting them back together again in new shapes of the students’ own choosing.”

Third, we are committed to helping our students acquire, in addition to knowledge and skills, such things as wisdom and insight, love of truth, moral discernment, understanding of self, and respect and appreciation for others. The strength of Wesleyan education lies on our avowed spiritual obligations to our faculty, staff and students. After our students graduate and leave the portals of the University, we are assured that their spiritual upliftment shall be the winning hallmark in getting and maintaining a job for a living and shall be the cutting-edge of your own personal distinction.

Fourth, we are committed to maintaining an institution which is open to all men and women of exceptional merit, which is highly entrepreneurial, and which is unfettered by political control. Then and now, Wesleyan University shall continue to be apolitical, while we cooperate with political institutions, while the provincial government is very supportive to us, while the city government of Cabanatuan is very supportive to us, while most of our big political leaders are personal friends of your president, but Wesleyan University shall remain a non-political institution to preserve its dignity as center of excellence in the field of education.

Finally, we are committed to building quality and excellence for the long term, not just for years ahead, not just for the decades ahead, but for the centuries ahead. And this is, my friends, this is the one that I, together with your Board of Trustees, would like to leave to you and the future Wesleyan students as a legacy, a legacy that will be long-remembered after we are all gone. We shall protect this legacy we will give to you and please pass it over to the next who will come after you at this institution.

Our students, friends and colleagues, these values are the pillars of Wesleyan education; these are the values which give meaning to your work and mine; and these are the values which must be kept in the forefront as we continue to build a university which will help lead this nation in the future.

Indeed, these are our efforts that transform society, our calling in being “a light unto the others.”
On the physical facility front – before I say anything, I must publicly apologize to all of you. Last year you remember, with all the excitement I announced to you that by next presidential convocation, this gymnasium will already be a taller, a bigger, a wider, modern, air-conditioned gymnasium. I promised you that last year. Now it is not yet, that’s why I want to publicly apologize. But I want to assure you in the presence of our chairman that the groundworks had been built, the initial investment had been reserved and right after the delivery and completion of the modern food court, the only one of its kind in the province, the work to accomplish and be true to that promise will begin. Nagkulang ako sa isang pangako, pero mayroon akong isang ginawa na hindi ko ipinangako pero naipatupad natin sa pamamagitan ng suporta ng ating Board of Trustees. Have you now enjoyed passing undisturbed through the North Gate of Wesleyan University? I did not promise you that last year, but you can now freely and conveniently enter the university without suffering the traffic at the Mabini Extension street. Kung nagkulang ang inyong Pangulo ng isa, pinalitan naman niya ng isa, subalit and kanyang pangako ay magpapatuloy at matutupad.

Our University’s physical development never stops. We have just completed our Food Court and more are coming like a modern gymnasium that I have mentioned, the rehabilitation of our hospital, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a shooting range, air-conditioned classrooms, and I think, partially from pre-school, to high school, to all the classes in our College of Criminology [to be] fully air-conditioned and in good time, hopefully within this semester, all your classrooms will be fully airconditioned.

I’d like to announce to you also, that Wesleyan University this year has beaten the odds. While many schools, universities and colleges are experiencing drastic decrease in their enrolment, Wesleyan University increased its enrolment this year. And of all the honor graduates from several high schools in the province of Nueva Ecija and neighboring provinces, Wesleyan University got the biggest share of honor students who enroled in the different colleges that you have already witnessed during our orientation program. More than three hundred of the honor students enroled in different courses in the university – valedictorian, salutatorian and others.
And looking beyond the perimeter of the university, your president got involved on a very meditated attempt to establish linkage with equally good universities abroad. During my last trip in Korea, I have reached an understanding that will be reduced in writing very soon with three big universities including my own Alma Mater, Yonsei University which is one-hundred twenty-five years old - the first and best university in Korea at the moment - to establish students and faculty exchange program. Kaya kayo na masisipag at alam kong marurunong at may lakas ng loob, na buo ang paniniwala sa inyong kinabukasan, inihahanda natin ang programa para kayo ay makapag-aral sa ibang bansa at ang mga nasa ibang bansa naman na counterpart ninyo ay makapag-aral dito sa Wesleyan University. And that applies to our qualified and very good faculty members. You will be missing some of them because some of them will be teaching in Korean universities and in exchange, some foreign professors will be teaching in your university.

Before I close, let me congratulate the College of Nursing for having brought back the old uniform, the old familiar uniform that made the College of Nursing famous in the province and beyond. Please stand for you to be recognized. Tumayo lamang po ang mga nakasuot ng dilaw ng ating College of Nursing. Salamat po. Ang kulay na iyan, hindi lamang iyan nagpasikat sa College of Nursing ng ating university, kung hindi iyan ay reflective ng kulay ng ating pamantasan. Kaya ngayon kung kayo’y naglilibot sa mga ospital, you can distinctively see the difference between the other nursing students from the other schools and our own nursing students from your university. Thank you so much for that decision, College of Nursing.

And I would like to thank also, and hope the others will follow, the College of Business and Acountancy, na minsan isang umaga, pumasok ako araw ng Lunes - alam ninyo namang ang inyong presidente ay laging pumapasok na naka-executive attire - akala ko’y dinalaw na ‘ko ng mga executive na galing sa Makati. Sa dami nila na naka-kurbata at nakaayos ng bihis ng isang business executive, napag-alaman ko yun palang Lunes ay business attire day ng College ng Business and Accountancy. Salamat sa magandang palakad na ginagawa ninyo. Now of course the other colleges are equally doing their best to put together the efforts to make the university great again.

As I finally close, I want to think about these:

God Loves You! The Holy Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” But the problem is: all of us have done, said or thought things that are wrong in the eyes of God. This is called sin, and our sins have separated us temporarily from God.

The Bible also says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” God is perfect and holy, and our sins separate us from God forever. And the Bible says “The wages of sin is death.” But the good news is, about two-thousand years ago God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. Jesus is the Son of God. He lived a sinless life and then died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. “God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”

Jesus rose from the dead, and now He lives in heaven with God His Father. He offers us the gift of eternal life – of living forever with Him in heaven if we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.”
God reaches out in love to you and wants you to be His child. “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe on His name.” You can choose to ask Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and come in to your life as your Lord and Savior.
At this time, if you want to accept Christ as Savior and turn from your sins, you can ask Him to be your Savior and Lord if you will just choose to say the following words with me. Please rise. And you can say it silently as you may prefer:

“Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life. I ask you into my life and heart, to be my Lord and Savior. I want to follow you always. Amen”

Thank you so much, at magandang araw sa inyong lahat.###

As leader of Nueva Ecija’s top learning institution, President MGP surrounded himself with distinguished advisers to aid him in implementing university policies. One of them is his external legal counsel, human rights lawyer and former party-list representative and Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino senatorial candidate Atty. JV Bautista.

A native of Guimba, Atty. Jose Virgilio “JV” Bautista graduated with a degree in AB Journalism from the University of the Philippines, where he was managing editor of the Philippine Collegian. Afterwards he immediately enroled at the UP College of Law, finishing a degree in Ll.B. in 1983.

In 1988, he was a Parvin Fellow at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in New Jersey. He has been working earlier as legal assistant and researcher at the Philippine Center for Immigrant Rights based in New York. His advocacy for human rights brought him to the Annual Human Rights Research and Teaching Seminar Center for Study of Human Rights in Columbia in June 1988, as well as to other international conferences which advocacies range from opposition to military bases to the amelioration of the lives of victims of the war in the Pacific. He has also been an NGO delegate to the United Nations, participating in various sessions and commissions such as the UN Commission on Namibia Special Asian Conference on the Namibia Question in Singapore, the UN Commission on Human Rights’s (UNCHR) 42nd Session in Geneva, the UN 3rd Special Session on Disarmament at the UN Headquarters in New York and as observer at UNCHR’s 35th session.

He was guest speaker at the Alliance for Philippine Concerns-USA’s (APC-USA) 3rd Annual National Convention at Hamline University in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In 1995 Atty. Bautista was chosen as the legal consultant of the National Democratic Font (NDF) during the latter and the Philippine government’s peace talks in Brussels, Belgium. A member of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), he also served as chief legal counsel and trustee of the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, Inc. (TFDP). He was also the legal counsel and a member of the Board of Directors of the Task Force Filipino Comfort Women.

Atty. Bautista has involved himself in different socio-civic and cause-oriented groups. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Cabanatuan City, was vice president of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Nueva Ecija Chapter (1992-1996) and of the Philippine Association of Friendship with Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, Inc. (1992-1995), and president of Guimba New Years Association (1997-1998) . Apart from this, he is a trustee of the Lean L. Alejandro Foundation, Inc. since 1990, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Public Interest Law Center, Inc. (PILC) based in Manila.

From 1990 to 1995, Atty. Bautista worked as the executive assistant and regional liaison officer of then Senator Wigberto E. Tanada. In 1997-1998 he became a member of the Nueva Ecija Provincial Peace and Order Council in Cabanatuan City. He was the spokesman of the 13th House of Delegates of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines from 1997-1999.

From 2001 to 2004, he represented the Sanlakas Party-list in Congress. His tenure in the Lower House saw him becoming the first to expose the cheating in Sultan Kudarat during the 2004 national elections.

He was the legal counsel of the Nueva Ecija Doctors’ Hospital and Wesleyan University - Philippines in 2009 and currently counsel of VP Jejomar Binay. Since 2008 he is a trustee of the Freedom from Debt Coalition.

With this background, this human rights fighter has become one of the most accomplished Novo Ecijanos of his time.###

A Wesleyan alumna made it to the top ten of this year’s July Nursing Licensure Examinations, according to official results issued by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) in Manila late last month.

April Joy Diane G. Galicia passed the exams alongside thirty other examinees from different schools nationwide who obtained a grade of 84.60, landing in the top tenth of the list.

She was the only alumna from a Nueva Ecija school to be included in the upper ten this year, while other top examinees in the region hailed from Angeles University Foundation (AUF), Tarlac State University (TSU) and Holy Angel University (HAU).

Meanwhile, Wesleyan University-Philippines was Nueva Ecija’s top-performing school in the said board exams.

WUP, which ranks 82nd in the nationwide list, had a total percentage of 43.67 in its overall number of board passers – first-timers and repeaters combined.

It was followed by the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST), which is 95th in the nationwide ranking with 39.93% passing rate.

The College of the Immaculate Conception (CIC), third in the province, was 110th in the national list with 34.86% passing rate, while the Good Samaritan Colleges (GSC) and Araullo University (AU) were 166th and 174th in the national rankings with passing percentages of 21.97 and 19.87, respectively.

The M.V. Gallego Foundation Colleges (MVGFC) ranked 185th nationwide with 16.88%.
The Dr. Gloria D. Lacson Colleges ranked 198th with 12.89%, while the Nueva Ecija Colleges was 202nd in the national list with 11.65%.

The oathtaking rites of successful examinees in the National Capital Region took place on September 20 and 21 at the SMX Convention Center in the SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City. ###

Since his first State of the University Address, President Manuel G. Palomo has accomplished more than 50% of the projects he has laid down in the past months.

Based on a list of upcoming projects published in the May-June 2009 issue of the Wesleyan Updates, Prof. Palomo is seen to have accomplished about half of his expressed programs and platforms so far within a time table not exceeding three semesters. This includes the renovation and modernization of the university auditorium, the ongoing installation of a campus-wide wireless Internet coverage, the purchasing of vans for the use of nursing students undergoing affiliation duties, the declogging of drainage canals in the campus, the declaration of WUP as a drug-free, alcohol-free and smoke-free campus; the adoption of a new university mission-vision and seal; and the decentralization of the WUP Aurora Campus.

These are apart from the opening of the new North Gate, the adoption of new policies on the selection of textbooks and other instructional materials, the revival of a centralized Supreme Student Council (SSC), distribution of faculty load assignments based on equity and faculty qualifications, contracting of new review centers to meet the satisfactory number of board passers, providing new training program for teachers, approving new scholarships, and upgrading the employee salary structure.

And yet a year after the president’s assumption of office the administration found itself grappling with a few challenges emanating (surprisingly) from people who occupy the higher ranks of management. This situation was countered by instituting a massive reorganization on the top positions of the Board of Trustees, prompted by Prof. Palomo himself to troubleshoot the difficulties and therefore demonstrate strength amid the rough waters.


Triggering Circumstances

The preventive suspension and later, resignation of WUP’s Chief Finance Officer Franklin V. Vicencio shed light (either coincidentally or not) on some irregularities allegedly committed by some officials sitting in the highest echelon of the university – the collegial body of the Board of Trustees. As open letters calling for the resignation of three high-ranking officials in the BOT on allegations of administrative violations circulated, the president launched a conclusive investigation which brought out such irregularities on the open. Then a few weeks later, Prof. Palomo made the unprecedented decision – he recommended to the College of Bishops (COB) the removal of BOT Chair Atty. Teodoro C. Pascua for the reason of hiding his non-Methodism and BOT members Bayani O. Azcarraga and Architect Rodrigo G. Lagman for conflicts of interest, a motion which the COB endorsed after careful deliberations. This was the first time in the history of Wesleyan University - Philippines that a president has challenged the members of the Board of Trustees — let alone its chairman – risking the possibility of being ousted by them from the presidency should the COB find the grounds of his recommendation wanting.

Then later on, the COB, in a letter dated August 12, 2010 signed by Bishops Daniel C. Arichea, Jr., Leo A. Soriano and COB President Bishop Rudolfo A. Juan (attested by Bishops Jose C. Gamboa, Jr. and Emerito P. Nacpil) acknowledged Atty. Pascua’s August 5 voluntary resignation from the WUP Corporation and as Chairman of the Board. Atty. Pascua was therefore asked by the COB to cease and desist from performing his functions in the board as the corporation considered his membership terminated since August 6th, immediately a day after his resignation. They likewise decided to terminate Arch. Lagman and Engr. Azcarraga’s membership from the corporation and from the Board.


A Colossal Revamp

Then, on the morning of August 26, 2010, President Palomo summoned the deans, department heads and the university media to introduce to them the newly appointed members of the Board of Trustees, replacing six members who were either terminated or have resigned (three of whom were the aforementioned).

Among the newly-appointed members was former Rotary Governor and former Chair of Bulacan’s provincial automation Mr. Pacifico Boy Aniag, who was elected as the new Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Aniag joined the BOT along with US Agency for International Development (USAID) consultant Glenn Paraso and Chevron Phils. Regional Head and 1986 CPA Board Topnotcher Leo V. Dagamac to take the places of Pascua, Lagman and Azcarraga (Dagamac was the next choice after Leonard Ting declined the offer of BOT membership due to multiplicity of duties).

The president also introduced three more new members: Aldersgate College’s current president Dr. Junifen F. Gauuan, General Tinio Vice Mayor Mr. Ferdinand Bote and Cagayan State University administrator Dr. Nita Garcia. Dr. Gauuan was elected new Vice Chairman while Mr. Bote was the new Secretary. Incumbent members Retired Judge Raymundo Z. Annang (now Board Treasurer) and Mr. Antonio I. Chua, Jr. were also present, along with Rev. Bishops Rudolfo Juan and Emerito Nacpil who came to recognize the Board. Incumbent members Usec. Narciso B. Nieto and Dr. Proceso T. Domingo were not able to come due to other official duties (Domingo is the current president of the National Defense College of the Department of National Defense). The twelfth member of the Board is Bishop Daniel Arichea who stands as honorary member.

Bishop Nacpil reminded the trustees of their primary responsibility to the university, telling them: “We pray that you do not claim as your own what is not your own, but as stewards you are entrusted with it… collectively you are responsible as a whole.” Bishop Juan on the meantime hoped that people would not settle on divisive misconceptions about recent developments in the university.

This recognition of new members completed the process of reorganizing WUP’s Board of Trustees, and hopefully put the university into alignment with the development plans the MGP administration has begun. It is a way of eliciting cooperation and consensus into attaining the visions set to make Wesleyan a strong educational landmark in the region.


Orders of the Day

Unlike the previous Board, the new BOT limit themselves to policy-making (which is strictly provided for by the institutional By-Laws), leaving the implementation phase to the president as the chief executive to avoid overlapping and crisscrossing of functions which often lead to many conflicts, including conflicts of interest.

In their first two meetings alone the newly-constituted BOT have already achieved a lot of things. They have approved the implementation of the new basic salary scheme for Wesleyan University General Hospital and Cardiovascular Center (WUGHCC) employees, who were formerly excluded from the improvements in WUP employees’ salary structure. They also gave a go signal to the Information and Communication Technology department (ICT) to construct a Fiber Optic Backbone which will become a better foundation of the university’s IT infrastructure. The Fiber Optic Backbone is a campus-wide project that will make telecommunication, including internet access, ten times faster than today’s internet downloading speed.

The new Board has also approved the integration of the new Medical Transcription course into the BS Nursing curriculum so that upon graduating the students will have a choice and qualification to enter the medical transcription profession should they find it difficult to enter the nursing field. The course would be made available to non-nursing students as well.

Among others things the new BOT has approved were the new organizational structure of WUP, which introduced three new vice presidential positions; the new salaries and allowances system for the new deans, department heads and area coordinators; and a new outsourced company to provide WUP with quality janitorial services.


Towards a Smoother Course

In the midst of challenges the MGP administration has exhibited dynamism, practicality and readiness to choose and to change whenever academic advancement requires it. Such sweeping reforms ensure a strong base for the administration to work on for enhancing the institution, thus producing so far fast and positive results. The administration has resolved long-standing labor problems which plagued previous administrations, improved university infrastructure, and addressed many issues, showing that MGP is a president who listens to the needs of the faculty, staff and students. Unfazed by the slanders of those disgruntled by recently-implemented reforms, he continues to build an institution where merit is recognized above anything else.###