Opening Remarks from our first Alumni General Assemble, June 3rd, 2017

Please read the 6/3/17 General Assembly Opening Remarks below from our president, Luis Gomilla.

One UPV is open to all UP alumni, friends and supporters.

Good Morning everyone I am Luis Gomilla, student # 78-15006, I know it is an ancient number for some of you but I felt like I just graduated yesterday, facing all of you fellow UP alumni.

Thank you all so much for coming today and special thanks to the members of the board who made this event possible. I am warning you though, that I do not have a reputation of giving witty quotes or words to live by. After all, I am an accountant. I guess that’s better than an Undertaker.

I have a lot of memorable moments in UPV. Hanging out at Tia Mellys store and watching Tio Bert do his magic tricks. Being scared to enter a classroom where Professor Ted Ledesma was my professor. Spending an all-nighter to study for a big exam or finish a paper due the next day.

I also met a lot of people in the campus who are still my friends to this day. It is also where I met my wife, Lynette who is also here today.

College years in UP pushed and challenged me academically. It is no wonder why it’s considered to be one of the toughest University to get in. I could still recall 40 years ago the glow in mother’s face when I told her that I got accepted in University of the Philippines. She is now 94 years old and she is also an alumni of UP Diliman where she graduated Cum Laude in 1954.

According to UP alumni statistics, of the of past 15 Philippine Presidents, 8 former heads of state are alumni of UP. Of the current 24 members of the Philippine Senate Assembly – 14 of them are UP alumni, 52 members of House Representatives are UP graduates. I could go on and on with the number of distinguished individuals, who accomplished great things who graduated from the University of the Philippines.

I remember one of my professors explained to us that education in UP does not spoon feed information to students rather provides guidelines in solving a problem. UP Students are challenged by their professors to search for the “hows and the whys” and not the “whats”. In my own experience, UP training taught me to be resourceful and independent. I learned to live on my own when I moved to the US and face
the challenges in the real world. I looked back on my experiences in UPV and I realized that my education in UPV made a significant impact in my life today. It prepared me to face my adversities. It also made me see the inequalities in our society today.

I am very fortunate that I have people to support me emotionally, mentally and financially while in UP. My friends were my constant source of strength through my ups and downs, away from my family, when at times I asked myself if I passed or failed an exam. I am also very fortunate that I have my Mother and a Sister in the US who supported me to finish college and financed my CPA board exam in Manila.

I do not have all the answers. I have my own responsibilities just like everyone else, mortgage payments, credit cards and utility bills, car payments, and other family obligations. Nevertheless, I know that I can make a difference, in my own small way, in making the world a little better. That’s why I am here today.

In August, 2016, Professor Mary Ann Gumban, Dean of College of Management, arrived in the United States for a visit with her classmates and friends. She told stories of some intelligent students informing her that they are quitting school, not that they cannot handle the pressures of UP academics but they do not have the financial resources to continue and finish their studies in UP. Indeed, several of the students quit due to financial reasons.

With her initiative, she spearheaded the formation of One UPV Foundation, USA Inc, along with remarkable alumni, some of them are here today. This year, One UPV Foundation USA Inc. has been recognized by the IRS as a non-profit organization. One UPV Foundation’s objective is to give financial assistance to these students for their day-to-day expenses.

It is encouraging to know that the people who made this General Assembly possible, the group who comprised One UPV Foundation and who came from different socio-economic backgrounds, arrived at the same conclusion. We all agree that we could make a difference in our own small way. Our world now transcends the usual division of beliefs of the haves and have nots, skinny or plump, tall or short and religious or political views. We all desire to help. The value of social responsibility in sharing aligns with most of our religious beliefs of charity, faith, hope and love.

However, the creation and promotion of a charitable institution maybe universal, But it is not easy. It is understandable that some members of society are being hampered by other responsibilities such as family obligations to give to a charity. Furthermore, they are also encumbered with the pressure with news of the nation’s economy, unemployment, translating to job insecurities which affects the decision to give or not. Information on abuses of funds by legitimate religious and charitable organizations create distrust that destroys the credibility of other charitable institutions. Such is the sad fate of some genuine charitable organization whose main purpose is to help.

We the members of the board of directors of One UPV Foundation are committed to pursue a legacy of honor and honesty. We have a responsibility to the donors and recipients by protecting the integrity of the mission statement that guides the direction of the organization. Members of board of directors made this organization their vocation by devoting time and energy and to see it grow and expand its horizon in reaching out to more students who are in need of financial help.

Let me end this with an excerpt from Mark Zuckenberg’s speech to 2017 millennials Graduates from Harvard University which I think applies to all of us. “The challenge for our generation is creating where everyone has a sense of purpose”. “But it is not enough to have a purpose for yourself alone. You have /to create a purpose/ for others”.

Hence, the purpose of One UPV Foundation Inc. is to give financial assistance to underprivileged UP students in completing their degree. In doing so, the students, who received scholarship has a purpose to complete their education and create a future for themselves and their family.

You never know, you may have a UP alumni that will be a President of the Philippines someday that was helped by your generosity.

Thank you.

— Luis Gomilla