Noy receives honorary law degree

TOKYO (via Smart/PLDT) – President Aquino was conferred an honorary doctoral law degree by Sophia University for his significant achievements in the promotion of good governance and peace in the Philippines.

Aquino was in Japan to attend the 40th Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Japan Commemorative Summit and meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Ateneo de Manila University president Fr. Ramon Villarin, SJ, proposed the conferment of the honorary degree on Aquino in a letter to Sophia University dated Jan. 21.

Previous Filipinos given honorary doctorate degrees were Father Horacio de la Costa, SJ (1973) when he was assistant minister and advisor of the Society of Jesus; and Carlos Romulo (1963) as president of the University of the Philippines.

In his speech after the conferment, Aquino paid tribute to De la Costa, a revered historian who worked his hardest to take pride in the nation’s past, while at the same time aspiring for a truly democratic future.

He said De la Costa had advised his father, Benigno Aquino Jr., not to give in during the Marcos dictatorship.

“In such a lopsided fight, my father embarked on a hunger strike to protest the lack of a fair trial,” he said.

“It was during this chapter in his life that Father De la Costa, whose opinion my father truly respected, imparted his wisdom to my father. He said: ‘If you think you are brave because you are willing to die, I tell you: It takes more courage to live.’ I took this to mean that dying, you finish your problem; living, you continue to fight for what is right.

“As a member of a younger generation, both as a product of a Jesuit education and as a Filipino, I am heir to the wisdom of Father De la Costa, and to the wisdom of all the great men and women who have come before me. I am duty-bound to continue where they left off, helping my country tread the path towards social justice and economic progress – pursuing not merely growth, but inclusive growth.”

Aquino said he ran for president because the Filipino people wanted an end to the vicious cycle of impunity, inequality and corruption in the country.

“It must be replaced with a virtuous cycle that replaces secrecy with transparency, and replaces doubt with confidence,” he said.

“Step by step, we ended the era of backroom deals. We uncovered the misdeeds of all those who abused the public trust, and are working to hold them all accountable. We are making sure that we spend the people’s money properly – on projects that will truly benefit the citizenry.”