The awarding, held in the High School Covered Courts on November 19, gave special recognition to faculty and staff who have served in the Ateneo for five years and beyond.
Among those awarded were University President Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, SJ (30 years), Vice President Ma. Assunta Cuyegkeng, Ph.D. (25 years), and Associate Dean for Student Affairs Rene San Andres (15 years).
Philosophy Professor Emeritus Fr. Roque Ferriols SJ, who has been teaching for 45 years in the Ateneo, was the longest-serving awardee.
Through the years
Other awardees from the Loyola Schools administration included University Archives Director Rodolfo Allayban (40 years), Central Accounting Director Leonora Wijangco (35 years), and Physical Plant Administrator Leoncio Miralao (30 years).
Other awardees came from different Loyola Schools departments and offices, and were awarded according to five-year intervals of service.
“Parang kailan lang noong nagtrabaho tayo dito, (It was not so long ago when we started working here)” said Academic Vice President Antonette Angeles, Ph.D., in her speech response on behalf of the 25-year awardees.
“Para sa karamihan sa atin, dito na tayo nagtapos, nagtrabaho, nag-asawa, nagkaanak at nagkaapo (For many of us, the Ateneo is where we graduated, worked, married, had children and grandchildren),” she added.
Truth and influence
Ferriols said he felt good that he was able to last for 45 years in the Ateneo.
“A teacher has a job of making the students aware that they have a God-given ability to think, to find the truth, and the teacher tries to awaken in the students an awareness of that ability they have, to think and find the truth,” said Ferriols.
“As a Jesuit, I was given work to do, and I tried to do it as well as I could,” he added.
Meanwhile, it was the eagerness to help the students in their physical health that kept Physical Education Instructor and 25-year awardee Augustus Vargas motivated in his years in the Ateneo.
“It’s very fulfilling when you have a student whose skill level is not that high,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino. “But at the end of the semester, they show a lot of improvement in terms of acquired skills.”
“It makes us feel satisfied that in one way or another, we have influenced the student’s thinking that enabled them to make changes in their lifestyle for the betterment of their health,” he added.
More years
Awardees received specific awards according to their years of service: a half-inch pin with the Ateneo seal for five-year awardees, a service plaque for 10, 15, and 20-year awardees, a service plaque and monetary award for 25-year awardees, and a certificate and monetary award for 30-year awardees and more.
Vargas is happy that the awardees’ efforts to promote excellence have been recognized. “Over the years that’s what we’ve been doing. I always try to be here not only for my students in class, but students of the school and the university in general,” he said.
Ferriols said, “So long as I can teach, I will teach.”
