By Rev. Dr. Ernest Howard B. Dagohoy
Dr. Ernest Howard B. Dagohoy delivers his Inaugural Address as the 18th President of Central Philippine University.
Note: This Inaugural Address was delivered during the Investiture Ceremony of Rev. Dr. Ernest Howard B. Dagohoy as the 18th President of Central Philippine University at the Rose Memorial Auditorium, Central Philippine University, 4:00 p.m., November 24, 2023.
“What We Owe the Past, What We Owe the Future”
We are gathered here today to celebrate a significant milestone in the life of Central Philippine University. First, I would like to express my deep gratitude to God for giving us the opportunity to be part of this Investiture Ceremony. We acknowledge His presence here and I pray that everything that will transpire for the duration of this ceremony and even at the reception dinner that follows will redound to His glory, honor, and praise.
We gather at the crossroads of history. We’re looking back to see the past and as we do so, we trace the fingerprints of God in the history of our beloved Alma Mater across 118 years. But we’re also looking ahead to see the future, eagerly anticipating what it holds for us.
Today, I would like to speak to you on the subject, “What We Owe the Past and What We Owe the Future” and in this message, I want to paint a picture for you of our humble beginnings as a university, and another picture of where God is leading us as we forge ahead into a future that is unknown and perhaps intimidating but at the same time, brings with it boundless opportunities for growth, re-calibration of our direction as a Christian institution of higher learning, vision casting, and so on and so forth.
Now, as we consider what we owe the past, the FIRST THING I would say is that we owe to the past an appreciation of those who accomplished so much before us.
You see, the birth of Central Philippine University is very much connected with the commencement of the Baptist mission in the Philippines that expanded the reach of the Gospel to our country.
Under the auspices of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society (ABFMS) the work began in May 1900 when the Philippine Baptist pastors and American missionaries developed a three-pronged mission program patterned from the ministry of Jesus Christ namely, Preaching, Healing, and Teaching.
The preaching ministry resulted in organizing churches in Iloilo, Negros, and Capiz. As to the healing ministry, the Philippine Baptist mission established two hospitals in Panay Island, known today as the Iloilo Mission Hospital and Capiz Emmanuel Hospital.
The Philippine Baptist mission soon started a Baptist Home School in Capiz. In Iloilo, a Bible School for women, which later became the Baptist Missionary Training School (BMTS) was established in 1904. In June 1905 the Bible School for men was also opened. A few months later – on October 1, 1905, another school was opened – the Jaro Industrial School.
The Jaro Industrial School started as an elementary vocational school for boys who worked for their board and tuition. The school had the distinction of having organized the first student government in the Philippines.
In 1913, the school was incorporated and recognized by the government. The school was expanded into a junior college in 1923 and the name was changed to Central Philippine School and then to Central Philippine College. The college was the first in the Philippines to offer a nursing course in cooperation with the Iloilo Mission Hospital, and the first in the country to offer a Kindergarten School.
When World War II broke out, destruction and death arrived at the college. The buildings were destroyed. In Hopevale, Tapaz, Capiz the Japanese soldiers captured and killed the eleven American Baptist missionaries and one little boy who sought refuge there. They are called the “Hopevale Martyrs” and one of those who died was Rev. Dr. Francis Howard Rose who was the Acting President of the college before the war.
After the war, the college was reopened by loyal faculty members and returning missionaries. Destroyed buildings were reconstructed and new ones were built.
In 1953, Central Philippine College became Central Philippine University and in 1966 the CPU Board of Trustees elected the university’s first Filipino president, Dr. Rex D. Drilon.
Later, on Christmas Day of 1969, the entire university property – land, buildings, and equipment – was turned over by the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society to Central Philippine University. Since then, the next presidents of the university were all Filipinos – Dr. Augustin A. Pulido, Dr. Juanito M. Acanto (both deceased), and my predecessor Dr. Teodoro C. Robles.[i]
In the last 118 years, Central Philippine University has grown from an elementary school with 17 pupils to a widely known university with an enrollment of close to 16,000 students. CPU is now looked up to as the best in Western Visayas and one of the top 20 best schools in the whole country.[ii]
What we owe to the past is to give honor where honor is due and to have a deep appreciation for our missionaries and predecessors who accomplished so much so this university can become what it is today.
SECONDLY, we also owe to the past fidelity to the heritage we have been given.
I’m thinking especially of fidelity to the faith which has been handed down to us and if you ever studied the Scriptures to see what it says about faith, you will soon discover that in the New Testament in particular, you will find that the word faith is used in at least two ways.
First, there is faith that is subjective belief or confidence in God. Second, the term “faith” refers to that revealed body of Christian tenets and values, which has been handed down across the centuries to us. These Christian tenets and values are sacred and must be kept in sacred trust.
In the case of Central Philippine University, what were passed on to us were the Vision and Mission of this institution since its inception which read as follows:
VISION: “Central Philippine University is committed to Exemplary Christian Education for Life (EXCEL) and responsive to the needs of the total person and the world.”
MISSION: “The mission of Central Philippine University is to carry out a program of spiritual, intellectual, moral, scientific, technological, and cultural training, and allied studies under the influences which strengthen Christian faith, build up character and promote scholarship, research, and community service.”
So, what this means is that not only do we owe to the past appreciation for the sacrifice of those who founded Central Philippine University, but we also owe to the past faithfulness to the heritage which they have handed down to us.
We are morally obligated to respect this heritage – to guard it, to believe it, and to refuse to disfigure it. We owe it to the people who started this institution to declare today that we believe the same things they believed and to hold them high regard.
Perhaps the question that we need to ask is this: “What happens if we neglect that trust?” Well, I tell you that institutions that neglect their heritage soon lose their fire, their fervor, their direction, their purpose, their focus, and they shrivel away into irrelevance and compromise.
What we owe the past are two things. First, we owe them our deepest appreciation for their magnificent accomplishments for God. And second, we owe it to them to be faithful to the heritage which has been passed down across the generations. Now, what about the future?
At the beginning of this message, I said that we stand at a crossroads – a crossroads between the past and the future. Our debt is not just to the past; our debt is also to the future. So, what do you think do we owe to future generations? I’m going to suggest to you that we owe to the future three specific things.
FIRSTLY, we owe to the future to repeat the mighty works of God.
Simply said, we will recount and retell the mighty works of God upon this university.
Psalm 44:1-3 declare:
“We have heard with our ears, O God; Our fathers have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our fathers; you crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish. It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory. It was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.”
Here we find a clear warrant for recounting the great events of the past and it is the right thing to do.
We ought to do it for the benefit of our own generation.
We ought to do it so that we can hear those stories because even some of us who have known CPU for years or graduated from this university may have never heard the stories from the past.
And then, we also ought to do it for the benefit of the generations yet to come.
I remember a story in the Old Testament about Joshua and what happened to Israel after his death. By a series of great military victories, Joshua led the people of God into the Promised Land. As long as he was alive, the nation served the Lord. But things changed after he was gone.
You see, we’re living in a day in which, sadly, many don’t have a sense of history anymore. We’re living in a generation that has lost its appreciation for the heritage that has been passed down to us. Sometimes we look at history and think we’re the first ones on the face of the earth ever to do anything good. There is no sense of what came before us.
But do you know what happened to Israel when they forgot their heritage? They ended up in bondage, slavery, decline and idolatry. And don’t say for one moment it could not happen to Central Philippine University.
So, we ought to rehearse the great works of God in this generation and to the generations following ours. We ought to keep telling these stories over and over and over again. We owe it to the future.
SECONDLY, we owe to the future to keep the best of the past while changing to meet the needs of the future.
You see, I view the past as a guide. It’s not a straitjacket that keeps us from something. Rather, it is a guide that shows us where we can go. Our history tells us who we are and where we came from. It tells us what kind of institution we ought to be, and the truth of the matter is Central Philippine University has changed a lot over the past 118 years.
The people who founded this university would be amazed to see what it has become. But sometimes we do have to change. Sometimes we must change the long-held traditions of the past. Sometimes we must change the things that we’ve been doing for a long time just to meet the needs of the present.
We owe it to the future to keep the best of the past while changing to meet the needs of the present.
FINALLY, we owe to the future to be as bold in the future as our forefathers were in the past.
Let me share with you now my long-term plans, in alignment with the University’s Vision and Mission:
Long-term Plans
Spiritual Vitality
First in the list of CPU’s Five Core Values is FAITH. FAITH is given primacy as a core value because the birth of the institution is strongly tied to the American Baptist mission that expanded the reach of the Gospel in the Philippines.[iii]
The story of God’s work at CPU throughout the years must not be forgotten. While 118 years have passed since its founding, the story must be told repeatedly and it can be done today by living out the Christian ideals of the University – starting with the Board of Trustees and officers of the Administration, followed by the faculty and staff, students, families, friends of Central, and alumni. These ideals must permeate every facet of the campus community – encompassing all educational programs and instruction, as well as various campus events and activities.
Academic Excellence
Central Philippine University has provided quality Christian instruction for years with various academic programs ranging from basic education all the way up to the post-graduate levels. Most of its eighteen schools and colleges are accredited by ACSCU, PAASCU, and ATESEA.[iv] The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has granted CPU a full autonomous status (I pray that after our application for renewal, we’ll be afforded the same status for many more years) and it is also the same government entity that awarded the University as National Centers of Excellence and Development.
These accolades and many more speak of CPU’s stature as an outstanding institution in the global academic arena. This reputation is the by-product of years of hard work. However, we will not rest on our laurels as we move forward. We will continue to pursue excellence in the delivery of educational instruction, align all programs to national accreditation standards, attract outstanding students by offering substantial scholarships and financial assistance, expand our educational, cultural, and professional exchange programs, hire top faculty, upgrade our facilities, and tirelessly find ways to be at par with other institutions of higher learning in the Philippines, Asia, and around the world.
Investment in Research
Research which reinforces strong scholarship on campus and in the community is a key component of an outstanding University. The ninth statement in the Central Decalogue reads, “I believe in the necessity of research in the atmosphere of freedom because a university is not truly a university unless it carries on research.”[v]
I agree with this statement because when a university engages in research, it contributes to the advancement of knowledge (discovery, innovation, creation) that is essential to civilization. But, more importantly, this is where higher education is delivered, where students develop breadth and depth of knowledge in foundational and advanced subjects, where the skills for knowledge acquisition and understanding are honed, and where students are educated, trained, and otherwise prepared for successful careers. Part of that training and preparation derives from exposure to faculty who are engaged at the leading-edge of their fields through research and scholarly work.[vi]
One area of research that I want CPU to seriously consider is medicine. We will explore the possibility of housing a research laboratory either at the Iloilo Mission Hospital or the School of Medicine on the main campus.
This is expensive and requires substantial institutional investment. But for a university that already has a medical school and an affiliated training hospital, the value to our educational and training missions as well as to the community justifies the investment.
I understand that research costs money, but it should not deter us from making this next move. If money is a concern, the remedy is philanthropy. So, we will solicit the generous support of individual donors, family foundations, private or corporate foundations to fund our research enterprise.
Related to this, we will strengthen our infrastructure for grant writing, proper accounting and disbursing of funds, reporting of results, and ensuring the sustainability of the benefits brought about by the research.
Simply put, we will make sure that there is integrity, transparency, and accountability in the whole process. Monetary remuneration is not the primary goal of research. While we anticipate a revenue stream to come out of it in the future, the nobler goal really is to prepare our students for successful careers, enhance our standing in the scientific global community, and ensure the wellbeing of our locality, our nation, and the world.
Faculty and Staff Development
The faculty and staff are CPU’s major assets. The University cannot operate without them.
For the faculty to be on the leading-edge of their profession, they must keep on learning and, when able, engage in research that can have a positive impact on the culture. To this end, we will increase the budget available for their professional development. We will encourage them to pursue further studies and help contribute to their education through a tuition assistance or reimbursement program. We will find ways for them to spend more time writing and doing research. We will fund their sabbaticals and trips to national and international conferences.
Part of the funding for research will be through securing grants. We will also tap into the generosity of donors for endowed chairs that carry reduced teaching loads and heightened research goals.
Working at CPU should not be a dead-end for one’s career. We will provide a ladder for both faculty and staff to be successful in their respective endeavors.
I want to highlight at this time Mr. Antonio Medecillo. Nong Tonio, as I call him, is one of our official drivers at CPU and I think it’s safe to say that he will retire here. What makes me so happy for him and for many of our faculty and staff at Central who have similar stories like his, is that his son, Al Ramel, recently passed the Licensure Examination for Medical Doctors. Congratulations, Nong Tonio and Dr. Al Ramel Medecillo. We are proud of you!
Student Success
While Central Philippine University’s major assets are its faculty and staff, the students are the most important stakeholders.
We want to provide students with the best possible environment for them to learn, grow, and prepare for the future in a campus that is infused with a combination of scholarship, friendship, and Christian fellowship.
We will strive to keep CPU as a primary residential campus where students live and study on the same ground – having access to student services; various campus organizations that provide avenues for leadership and responsible citizenship; discipleship; artistic expression in the areas of music, theater, dance, visual craft, and literature; community outreach work; and camaraderie with their peers.
We will upgrade the University’s technology capabilities so that students can connect wirelessly from any location on campus to send email, download lectures, do research, and update electronic pages.
We will continue to find ways to keep students moving forward together, one of which is by enhancing the function of the Guidance Services Center as the Academic Success Center on campus.
Athletic activities are also important to the student life experience. We aim to excel in this area both to give the campus community the chance to rally around the efforts of our outstanding student athletes and, equally important, to promote our University.
Finally, we will strengthen the Work Student Study Program to help students who have the aptitude and motivation for college work but lack the financial resources. This program has garnered acclaim because thousands of work students who graduated from the University became successful in their respective careers.
Alumni Engagement
My wife Cecile and I are proud alumni of Central Philippine University, and so are several members of our respective families. We spent our formative years at CPU and are the recipients of the University’s commitment to Exemplary Christian Education for Life (EXCEL). We are where we are today because CPU trained us well, instilled in us the tenets of the Central Spirit, and gave us the opportunity to excel in our chosen endeavors.
Our success stories are not unique because there are similar stories like ours of alumni situated in many parts of the world who share the joy and satisfaction of making an impact on the lives of others.
I want to know and highlight those stories. I want our alumni to feel that even though they have been away from the University for a long time, they are not forgotten. I will connect with them through the Offices for Communication and Institutional Advancement and send University updates using the Centralian Link, brochures, annual reports, and social media. I will visit alumni chapters large or small, local and international, and represent the University at the CPUAAI and CPUFOAAI reunions. I will invite alumni to visit their Alma Mater whenever they are available and bring family and friends with them as well.
Lastly, I will encourage alumni to continue to stand for the precepts of CPU, live to fulfill its Vision and Mission, and support the work of the University in any way they can.
We owe it to the future not to stop here. We owe it to the future to press forward with as much vigor and determination as they did in the past. We owe it to the future to be as bold in the future as they were in the past.
These are no days for timidity. These are no days for fearful cowards. These are no days to go slow; these are days to go all out for the good of Central Philippine University but importantly, for the glory of God!
I love soccer, but I equally love American football. In a football team, one of the key players is the quarterback and one great quarterback I know is Terry Bradshaw of the Pittsburg Steelers, who was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame. There was always one play that Bradshaw called whenever the Steelers intercepted a pass. On the very first play after an interception, he’d call the signals, drop back 10 yards, and send one receiver down the one side and another down the other side. No short passes here. He would throw the ball about 60 yards down the field. Every time they got the ball, they would simply throw it down the field.
At his induction to the Hall of Fame, Terry Bradshaw said, “I played aggressively. Why play any other way? We were always throwing the ball long. Anybody can throw it short.”
What a lesson that is for us as we contemplate the future. We owe to the future to throw the ball long. Throw it long. We owe to the future to throw the ball long because that’s what the people who came before did. That means no small plans. No small dreams. No small ideas.
As we face the future, we owe it to the past, we owe it to the present, we owe it to the future to be bold, to be aggressive and to reach out and to take Central Philippine University to greater heights of service to humanity and more importantly, to God.
I say it again. Let us throw the long ball. Anybody can throw it short.
Let me close with the lyrics to one of our Central songs, “The Gold and Blue” (I am sorry I inadvertently missed mentioning the author, Dr. Eliza Uy-Grino) arranged into music by Prof. Elora Fe Garcia Jordan.
“When we leave thy halls, dear Central, to waiting tasks we go;
Will school day joys our hearts enthrall, How much pain will our hearts know?
But we’ll faithful be in life’s noon or shade; Pledge our troth each day anew,
“Gainst the time when memory shall fade, Here’s a song that will keep us true.
These treasures ours who are Central’s, golden chains that bind us too;
The love of friends who spurn the false and would have us be true blue;
Open minds and hearts all ready to share A neighbor’s ill or woe.
For this heritage beyond compare, Here’s a song for the Gold and Blue.”
Psalm 145:4 says, “One generation shall commend your works to another. They will tell of your mighty acts.” One generation to another. How many generations have there been in this university so far? A lot!
Each generation contributes a chapter, and the chapters together make up a book of God’s praise, a book of the mighty works of God.
We are busy in this new season in the life of our university writing our chapter in the book of God’s praise, commending from one generation to another what our God has done.
That’s our number one responsibility – to take what we’ve been given and to pass it on to the next generation.
You see, life is not a marathon; it’s a relay race. Somebody hands the baton to you. You run as fast as you can and then you hand it off to the next generation. We’ve been given the mighty baton by our forefathers here at Central.
Now let’s run as fast as we can and hand if off to the next generation. Let’s do it so that the past will say to us, “You were faithful to the heritage handed down to you,” and the future will say, “You passed it on to us, thank you!”
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[i] Central Philippine University, The History of Central Philippine University [web page], https://www.cpu.edu, (accessed 11 November 2023).
[ii] Central Philippine University, Gold & Blue Student Handbook [web page], https//www.cpu.edu.ph, (accessed 11 November 2023)
[iii] Linnea A. Nelson and Elma S. Herradura, Scientia et Fides: The Story of Central Philippine University (Iloilo City: National Press, 1981), xv.
[iv] Central Philippine University, Gold & Blue Student Handbook [web page], https://www.cpu.edu.ph, (accessed 11 November 2023).
[v] Central Philippine University, Central Decalogue [web page], https://www.cpu.edu.ph, (accessed 11 November 2023).
[vi] David Rosowsky, “The Role Of Research At Universities: Why It Matters”, Forbes [web page], 2 May 2022, https://www.forbes.com, (accessed 11 November 2023).