The UV Spirit

My friend, broadcaster Choy Torralba, texted me last Sunday with the information that Marie Kathrina Torralba Tojong of the University of the Visayas, who placed 8th in the latest Nursing board exam, was his niece, the daughter of his younger sister.

I texted Choy back to tell him that, if that was the case, then Marie Kathrina’s becoming a board topnotcher should not come as a surprise, since it must be in the genes. Kini si Choy, pangisi-ngisi lang ni, pero pwerteng bright-ta ini.

Anyway, part of my reply to Choy also underscored the fact that if Marie Kathrina was from UV, then is should also not come as a surprise that she should place so highly, kay kining mga taga-UV mga ngilngig pud ni. I ended my text to Choy by saying I am from UV, too, ha ha.

Levity aside, the University of the Visayas is probably one of the most underrated schools in the country today, a status that is regretably undeserved, given its achievements, its contributions, its influence, its philosophy.

UV is one of the oldest schools in the Philippines and is the first university in Cebu. Founded in 1919, it will mark its first centennial nine years from now, with the main celebration set for January 12, 2019 to coincide with the birthday of the founder, Don Vicente Gullas. I used to wonder why, given its many achievements, the many topnotch graduates it has produced, alumni who now occupy some of the most influential and coveted positions in society, UV is still viewed with some condescension by some.

And then I finally understood that it had something to do with the deep-seated biases that just seem to preoccupy Philippine society with seeming permanence and the philosophy of the university to be all-embracing, especially the poor and underprivileged.

A philosophy anchored on “love and service to humanity” cannot but attract the masses, who otherwise would have little or no opportunity to improve their lot had not the university opened its doors with a policy of providing quality but affordable education.

It is this mass-based education policy which I think invokes in some people the wrong notion about quality, like the elitist view that exclusivity equates to superiority, which is really not the case, as borne by evidence after evidence, the latest being Marie Kathrina.

UV is home to some of the greatest achievers in society. Through its doors have passed some of the greatest contributors to the world as we know it, whose deeds and ideas helped shape our lives without us even knowing the UV connection.

But the university does not rest on its past laurels. It continues to adjust and adapt to the emerging trends and challenges without having to drastically depart from the core values that have enshrined the university philosopy in the hearts of all its graduates.

Marie Kathrina, in her youth, may not realize what the hell do I mean by the university philosophy, or things like “love and service to humanity.” But I am confident, in her own time, when she joins the real world on her own, that she will know what I mean by the “UV Spirit.”

The “UV Spirit” is both a struggle to overcome adversity with excellence, and the fierce underlying loyalty that makes that struggle possible. It is this “UV Spirit” that has brought life within reach to those who thought they never had the chance to make it worth living.