Mayor Antonio J. Villegas, City of Manila, from 1962 to 1971 | Facebook Photo
“I stand on the shoulders of great men before me . . .” is a phrase common in American political speeches, giving tribute to the great endeavors of men or women who preceded them. It’s a fitting accolade devoid of self-serving political motives by the speaker to his predecessor, giving credit where it’s due. It’s a wonderful tradition of American politics before the rise of Trumpism. It has never been part of Philippine politics, and I heard no politician in the modern era utter such a phrase. It’s humbling to think that we often are not authors of great, original ideas but build on them from the works of those who came before us.
Recently, I was reminded of our politicians’ arrogance while attending the 59th founding anniversary of my alma mater, the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM). It’s the true university of the masses who came from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. It was the brainchild of former Manila Mayor Antonio J. Villegas, whose call sign was “Yeba!” It’s the dream of his college professor, Dr. Benito F. Reyes, who shared the idea with him and gave it life when he became Manila’s mayor in the 60s.
Dr. Reyes subsequently became PLM’s first president. He authored PLM’s unique academic curriculum for the student’s first two years of studies, grounding students in philosophy, ethics, arts, science, mathematics, and Pilipino. He referred to PLM’s education as the cultivation not only of the mind but also of the heart.
The competitive scholarship PLM offers to Manila’s poor has saved and provided an avenue to lift many, including myself, out of poverty. Several of us used to walk to the PLM campus in Intramuros, coming from the poorer sectors of the four districts of Manila. Some students still do the same, prompting some PLM alumni to form the PLM Scholars Foundation, Inc. (PLMSFI) to help them.
“It’s a pitiable Filipino attitude, especially among politicians, that we don’t value the good works of others and try to build on them. Instead, we reinvented things that were already there and put our trademarks on them. The redundancy is often wasteful.”
Some sixty years later, PLM has established a tradition of academic excellence despite its meager infrastructure and facilities and without the pedigree of more exclusive schools like De La Salle, Ateneo, or even the University of the Philippines. PLM was a resounding success and became the model for many government-subsidized city and national universities nationwide. One would imagine that Mayor Villegas would have been enshrined now in the halls of the university as its hero. One of the PLM’s previous city-appointed administrations removed a bust of him erected a decade ago as a tribute monument by the PLM Alumni Association.
It’s a pitiable Filipino attitude, especially among politicians, that we don’t value the good works of others and try to build on them. Instead, we reinvented things that were already there and put our trademarks on them. The redundancy is often wasteful.
The PLM is an example of it. In its sixty-some years of successful existence, it should have received attention from the city and national governments by increasing its budget and growing its facilities, elevating its status as a model university. Instead, it remains an under-budget university while putting people’s taxes to much better use.
PLM was the poor man’s university for much of its early existence. And perhaps the most successful poverty-alleviation project of the Manila city government. This is my gesture of thanks, a tribute to the forward-looking former Manila Mayor Antonio J. Villegas. Yeba!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Fernando B. Perfas is an addiction specialist who has written several books and articles on the subject. He currently provides training and consulting services to various government and non-government drug treatment agencies regarding drug treatment and prevention approaches. He can be reached at fbperfas@gmail.com.
