Homecoming
Last June 17 was a homecoming worth celebrating. It was the 125th anniversary of my alma mater, San Beda University.
Yes, before cutting my teeth at the University of the Philippines Diliman, I spent my preparatory and elementary years at what used to be San Beda College.
Last month, when the venerable institution celebrated 125 years of its founding in the country, at the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, the memories and the nostalgia kept flooding back, as it always did when one was home.
I say “home” deliberately. Anyone who has spent even a year under the Benedictine motto of Ora et Labora, “prayer and work,” knows that San Beda doesn’t just hand you a diploma and send you off into the world. It shapes you and teaches you. The lessons learned back then, I still carry with me to this day, that of discipline and devotion.
San Beda began in 1895, when a small group of Benedictine monks, eight priests and six brothers, crossed oceans from Spain, originally to do mission work in Surigao. Six years later, on June 17, 1901, they opened El Colegio de San Beda on Arlegui Street with just 212 students.
By 1918, as American influence reshaped the country, the school was renamed San Beda College. In 1926, the community moved to the Mendiola campus it still calls home, and the Abbey Church of Our Lady of Montserrat was consecrated, the very church where we gathered this June to celebrate 125 years.
The post-war decades built the San Beda we know today: the College of Law was established in 1947 and, remarkably, produced a 100 percent bar passage rate for several years running in the 1950s. The Red Lions became a fixture of Philippine collegiate sports. In 2001, San Beda marked its centennial. Seventeen years later, on Feb. 6, 2018, the Commission on Higher Education finally granted San Beda full university status, and San Beda College became San Beda University.
What made this year’s celebration especially moving was the presence of the First Lady, Marie Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos, who joined the community to honor the anniversary. The First Lady said that San Beda was a place that has helped shape generations grounded in faith, guided by service, and committed to leading with integrity.
Our chairman and fellow alumnus, Manuel V. Pangilinan, or MVP, was honored during the anniversary celebration, together with Cardinal Orlando Quevedo, the Archbishop Emeritus of Cotabato.
MVP serves as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the university and was awarded the first Honorary Doctorate Degree in Management in 2002.
Not too many people know that when MVP returned to the Philippines in the late 1990s, he began seeking opportunities to give back and share much of what he had to what is considered his “most beloved alma mater.” (In one of his media interviews, MVP revealed that, among the schools he attended, San Beda was closest to his heart).
It goes without saying that MVP devoted much of his time to San Beda, and this 125th anniversary celebration was no exception.
Since 2014, MVP, through the PLDT SMART Foundation, Inc., of which he chairs, has sponsored a scholarship program under the San Beda Alumni Foundation, Inc. for financially challenged but deserving students who wish to experience the distinctive Bedan education that he had.
Countless Bedan scholars have certainly benefited from MVP’s generosity.
Ora et Labora, the timeless Benedictine motto, emphasizes a balanced life. It highlights the principle that spiritual devotion and daily physical labor are not mutually exclusive, but, rather, partners that sanctify everyday life.
MVP is Ora et Labora personified, living each day in the true Bedan way.
Happy Birthday in advance, Boss MVP!
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My heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to fellow Chevening scholar and social entrepreneur, Pamela Mejia, founder of sustainable fashion enterprises PAMMÉ and FIBERS, who has been named the Global Winner of the Culture and Creativity Award at the British Council’s Study UK Alumni Awards 2025, one of the United Kingdom’s highest international recognitions for UK university alumni.
The award was presented by the British Council UK during the global awards ceremony held last month at Liverpool Hope University, bringing together distinguished alumni and education leaders from around the world.
A graduate of the University of the Arts London, Mejia was recognized for advancing sustainable fashion, circular economy innovation, and social inclusion through entrepreneurship. Through PAMMÉ and FIBERS, she has empowered artisan communities, indigenous weavers, women entrepreneurs, and local producers while promoting ethical and environmentally responsible fashion.
The British Council’s Study UK Alumni Awards celebrate outstanding UK alumni who are creating meaningful impact across the world. This year’s competition drew more than 1,300 applications from over 100 countries, with only four global winners selected across the award categories. *
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