By Rev. Dr. Francis Neil G. Jalando-on
As CPU marks its 120th anniversary, we honor Dr. Rex D. Drilon (1905–1971), the first Filipino president whose visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to faith, scholarship, and service transformed Central Philippine University into a truly Filipino-led institution.
As Central Philippine University celebrates its 120th Founding Anniversary (1905–2025), it looks back with deep gratitude to the leaders who shaped its faith, vision, and identity. Among them, Dr. Rex Divinagracia Drilon stands as a monumental figure, the first Filipino president who transformed CPU from an American-founded mission school into a fully Filipino-led university. His leadership marked a historic turning point: the fulfillment of the long-cherished dream of Filipinization and the strengthening of the Central Spirit, which is a spirit of faith, scholarship, and service that continues to inspire the CPU community today.
In this milestone year, we remember Dr. Drilon not only as a brilliant educator, journalist, and administrator but as a visionary who believed that “This nation will be great again and again as it faces the future’s everlasting travails with brow ever raised and faith never dying.” His life and leadership continue to embody the University’s enduring motto, Scientia et Fides, and the belief that Christian education must serve both God and country.
The Life and Education of a Visionary
Dr. Rex Divinagracia Drilon was born in Dumangas, Iloilo, on April 21, 1905. He spent much of his childhood in his hometown, where he received his early education. He completed his secondary education and earned his Associate in Arts (Pre-Law) with honors at Central Philippine College in 1925 and 1927, respectively. Through a scholarship, he pursued higher studies in the United States, earning his Bachelor of Arts in English at Linfield College, McMinnville, Oregon, in 1931; his Bachelor’s in Journalism and Master of Arts in Editorial Writing at the University of Missouri in 1937. In 1949, he was officially approved as a matriculated candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in International Relations and Law at Columbia University. Later, in 1967, Linfield College conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.), recognizing his distinguished contributions in education and leadership (Central Echo, 1967, vol. 41, no. 9, pp. 3, 28).
The Educator and Writer
Dr. Drilon began his career as an English high school teacher at Central Philippine College from 1927 to 1929. After his studies in the United States, he taught Editorial Writing at the University of Missouri School of Journalism in 1936. Upon returning to the Philippines, he became an English instructor at Central Philippine College in 1938–1939 and later a professor of English at the National Teachers College and Lacson College in Manila until the outbreak of World War II in 1941.
During the war, he served as an officer in the Panay Guerrilla Movement, where he became chief and later executive officer of the History Section (Link, 1970, vol. 7, no. 1, p. 1). After the war, Dr. Drilon returned to Central Philippine College as professor and head of the English Department (1945–1947), dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and director of the University Summer School. His students fondly described him as “a journalist from Missouri
who walks with a busy man’s heavy tread, keeps a thesaurus in his head and exhibits a mood as stable as the waves” (Central Echo, Postwar Issue, January 1946, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 5–6).
He later served as director of public relations, adviser to The Central Echo, and officer of the CPU Alumni Association. His multifaceted contributions reflected both his love for scholarship and his deep commitment to forming critical and independent minds among students.
The Visionary President
On June 1, 1966, Dr. Drilon made history as the first Filipino President of Central Philippine University, succeeding decades of American leadership since its founding in 1905. His installation was held on April 21, 1967, officiated by President Ferdinand E. Marcos. During the ceremony, a fifty-voice choir sang “This Nation Will Be Great Again”— a poem written by Dr. Drilon himself, with music composed by Frederick E. Bieler (Central Echo, 1967, vol. 41, no. 9, p. 3).
The poem has stirring lines like: “This nation was great… This nation will be great again and again as it faces the future’s everlasting travails with brow ever raised and faith never dying.” This poem reflected his deep sense of nationalism and faith in the Filipino spirit. This conviction became the heart of his presidency and inspired his battle cry for “A Great Central.” He urged the university community with a timeless challenge: “We shall move this school as it has never been moved before. Central will be great.”
One of the most momentous achievements under his leadership was the turnover of the entire university property (land, buildings, and equipment) from the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society to the Filipino Corporation of Central Philippine University on Christmas Day, December 25, 1969. This unprecedented act was hailed as “an event without parallel in the history of religious foreign missions” (Nelson & Herradura, 1995, p. 214).
The Bridge Between Two Eras
President Drilon saw his presidency as a bridge between the years of American support and the new era of Filipino leadership. In his inaugural address, he declared:
“If your Filipino president fails, then the Filipino name is marked forever. But if your Filipino president succeeds with your help, with your loyalty, then the Filipino name shall be honored –you honor yourselves.”
His administration was characterized by visionary reforms — the establishment of the University Research Center, improvements in campus facilities, expansion of the College of Agriculture, and the implementation of the faculty and staff retirement program (Centralite, 1967, p. 22). He also founded the Southeast Asia Quarterly, a scholarly journal that promoted CPU as a center of academic research and dialogue in the region.
The Advocate of Academic Freedom
Dr. Drilon was a passionate defender of academic freedom and believed that education must serve both truth and liberty. He organized the University Forum, which he described as “a free market of ideas,” where faculty and students could express their views “with no holds barred.” He encouraged student writers to engage national issues through The Central Echo, believing that a university should be “a community of human beings entitled to be heard.”
The Cebu Advocate (1967) described him as “a dangerous president… possessed with such an utterly open mind as can, therefore, see what’s wrong with many of us and can stir everyone into a fuller involvement of democracy in education” (Central Echo, September 1967, vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 1, 4).
He upheld democratic participation and intellectual courage. These are values that shaped CPU’s institutional character long after his passing.
The Builder of Relationships
Beyond his intellectual and administrative legacy, Dr. Drilon cultivated meaningful partnerships with national and international agencies. He strengthened ties with the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, while asserting Filipino autonomy in university governance. He initiated collaborations with the Department of Agriculture, UNESCO, and other institutions that positioned CPU as an emerging center of Christian higher education in the Visayas.
He also served as President of the Association of Colleges of Agriculture in the Philippines (ACAP) and President of the Association of Private Schools in Western Visayas, advocating for teacher welfare, curriculum modernization, and agricultural advancement.
The Journalist and Patriot
Dr. Drilon was a prolific writer whose works championed liberty, faith, and national dignity. He wrote for the Manila Daily Bulletin, Historical Bulletin, Philippine Free Press, Hiligaynon Magazine, and even the New York Times. His writings blended faith and social consciousness, reflecting his Baptist upbringing and nationalist convictions.
He was recognized as “Man of the Year 1970” by the World War II Veterans Association, 6th Military District, and was listed in the World Who’s Who (1970). This affirmed his impact as a journalist, educator, and patriot (Link, 1970, vol. 7, no. 1, p. 4).
The Enduring Legacies
Dr. Drilon passed away suddenly on February 21, 1971, while still serving as president. Thousands of students, faculty, and staff joined his funeral procession which was one of the longest ever witnessed in Jaro, Iloilo. He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Independencia Quimpo Drilon, and their children: Ed Nathan, Lincoln Rex, and Pearl Dency.
His legacies remain deeply woven into the fabric of CPU:
- Filipinization of Leadership – Fulfilled the vision of Filipino administration of CPU.
- Institutional Autonomy – Oversaw the historic turnover of ownership from ABFMS to the Filipino Corporation of CPU.
- Academic Freedom and Democracy – Established the University Forum and fostered intellectual courage.
- Research and Scholarship – Strengthened the University Research Center and launched Southeast Asia Quarterly.
- Moral and Civic Leadership – Modeled faith, service, and national responsibility.
- Cultural Nationalism – Authored “This Nation Will Be Great Again,” a poetic call to moral awakening.
- Humanitarian Spirit – Valued the dignity of all workers and upheld social justice.
- Educational Reforms – Improved faculty benefits, facilities, and academic programs.
- CPU Identity and Spirit – Defined the enduring motto of “A Great Central.”
In recognition of his life and service, CPU conferred upon him the Distinguished Service Award in 1971 and the Posthumous Service Award on March 22, 2002.
Senator Franklin M. Drilon, his nephew, fittingly reflected:
“Tito Rex molded the values of the Drilon clan. He instilled in us the value of integrity and intellectual honesty, the value of respect for elders, and the value of discipline. With his own life, he held these values high, and with his death, he left them to us as a living and lasting legacy” (Central Echo, 1996, vol. 76, no. 3, pp. 22–23).
As CPU marks its 120 years of excellence, faith, and service, it remembers Dr. Rex D. Drilon as a president who not only led but transformed; a man whose vision made the University truly its own and whose spirit continues to make Central great.