Former CDC head is back to his first love

Dr. Emmanuel Angeles is back to doing what he loves doing – being an educator.

A few months after retiring from a four-year stint as president and chief executive of the Clark Development Corp. (CDC), Angeles is now devoting his time to transforming Angeles University Foundation not only into a bastion of educational excellence, but also as a strong partner of the community and the government.

He is also devoting his time to a movement to train student leaders to assume leadership in addressing the country’s socio-economic and political problems by organizing the Movement for a Strong Philippines.

"I felt it was time for me to embark on another chapter of my life after successfully achieving what I have initially envisioned for Clark. With God’s grace and through the unwavering support of President Arroyo, the locators and investors, my CDC staff and my family, I survived the four grueling years all geared towards shaping Clark into becoming Asia’s next best business and tourist destination," Angeles who now enjoys more time with his family and grandchildren quipped.

During Angeles‚ stint at CDC, its net income soared to P37.52 million in 2004 compared to P2.3 million in 2001. This, he achieved, by transforming the airport into the hub of economic development (an economic model known as aeropolis) in the area and also by focusing on costs. "I was running CDC like a business organization and I kept a tab on all expenses," he said.

Cumulative employment at Clark Zone also zoomed to 112,536 from 70,388 jobs in 2001, while the number of local and foreign investors increased to 236 from 288 in 2001.

Mixed Emotions

Angeles’ four-year stint in government has had its shares of ups and downs. He described his government job as grueling, sometimes frustrating due to the bureaucracy and red tape in government. "But I also learned to become more patient," he muses. But being a lawyer made him ready for any obstacle that came his way.

"That’s probably why all my children became lawyers. Because by becoming a lawyer, you can be anybody you want to be," he said. His children are all lawyers working with government, which he said is largely due to the fact that they learned the value of public service. His wife, Dr. Cornelia Angeles was also into public service, having practiced medicine for many years at the East Avenue Medical Center.

He says he accepted the CDC position because he felt the urgency of helping the country rise from the rubbles of corruption and economic instability. "Looking back, I can honestly say that the CDC experience was truly worth the sweat, blood and tears," Angeles recalled.

Moving On

During his investiture as AUF Chancellor last May 25, the university’s third investiture in its 44-year history, Angeles revealed that he will now be spending much of his time to projects dedicated to nation building "in our common desire to contribute to societal transformation, through the triad education functions of instruction, research, and community service."

To fulfill this noble task, the AUF Professional Schools has established the Plaridel Institute for Strategic Studies which will be dedicated to research works relevant to the life and survival of the Filipino people, in the face of world, regional, and local events. The institute was named after Marcelo H. del Pilar or Plaridel, a leading propagandist for reforms in the country during his time.

Thorough studies will be undertaken on vital issues affecting the Philippines such as poverty, sustainable development, environment, peace and order, governance, and globalization.

Angeles As Educator

Angeles couldn’t have been more prepared to handle the task of becoming AUF’s newest chancellor. A lawyer by profession, he obtained his Bachelor of Laws at the Ateneo de Manila University in 1960 and Master of Laws and Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science at the University of Santo Tomas. An educator by vocation being the second president of the AUF and a holder of a post-graduate degree in educational management from the Harvard Institute of Educational Management, he continues to serve the local, national, and international communities as president and chairman of the board of the AUF Medical Center; immediate past president of the Central Luzon Association of Higher Education Institutions; immediate past national president and chairman of the board of governors of the Private Schools Athletics Association; and immediate past president and ex-oficio board member of the Association of Universities of Asia and the Pacific, the first Filipino to assume such position.

Angeles wanted to be a pilot but his mother wouldn’t have any of it. He ended up being a practicing lawyer, but education was deeply rooted in the family. At first, he didn’t have any choice. In the end, it became his passion.

After all, it was his mother Dr. Barbara Yap-Angeles who established the Angeles Academy in 1931 which existed for only two years. It was revived in 1962 as the Angeles Institute of Technology which was the first technological school in Central Luzon and which would later become the AUF.

AUF was established on May 25, 1962. After only less than nine years, it was granted university status. In 1975, it was converted into a non-stock, non-profit educational foundation, a decision of the founding Angeles family (Emmanuel’s parents) motivated by the desire to perpetuate its commitment to provide relevant and quality education to the Central Luzon region. In 1990, the AUF Medical Center was inaugurated which now serves as the university’s teaching, training, and research hospital, the first in Central Luzon.

AUF is likewise a Center of Development for Excellence in IT Education, the first Catholic University in Central Luzon and the 14th in the Philippines, PAASCU Level III Accreditation, among others. In fact, by next year, about 80 percent of the faculty is expected to have completed their masters or doctoral degrees and AUF is extending scholarships and grants to faculty members who wish to pursue further education.

In 2003, AUF was granted autonomous status by CHED, a distinction granted to only 40 universities in the country.

And very soon, AUF will have its very own law school and there is word that retired Supreme Court Justice Jose Vitug will be its first dean.

AUF may have come a very long way but for Emmanuel Angeles, the challenge is just beginning.