P-Noy receives honorary doctorate from Fordham

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino was conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws degree honoris causa by Fordham University during his working visit to the United States.

The ceremony was attended by Filipino students, Filipino community members, Fordham faculty, and members of the President’s delegation.

During Fordham president Joseph McShane’s remarks at the ceremonies, he cited the President’s determination to uphold the ideals of democracy and the welfare of the Filipino people, saying, “You have lived your life selflessly in the service of others. In fact, like your parents, you are nurturing democracy, making the rule of law and the care of the poor your special concerns, the concern of your heart. In the process, you have shown the world, and you have shown particularly us here at Fordham today, that the life of principled service can and does transform the world.”

As part of tradition, the names of world leaders that have been awarded honorary doctorate degrees are carved on the steps of the “Terrace of the Presidents” at Keating Hall. President Aquino’s name will join those of 39 other world leaders such as George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and President Aquino’s mother Corazon C. Aquino, by whose name the President laid yellow roses before the conferment. The President’s name will be carved next to hers.

The President highlighted the vital role of the Filipino people in pushing the country towards social progress. He told the gathering that his ambition is “…that with this rediscovered appreciation of their strength, and their renewed optimism and vigor, the Filipino people, by the end of my term, will have grown so accustomed to genuine public service and so intolerant of corruption, that whether a saint or a sinner succeeds me, no one will be able to roll back the tide of progress and good governance.”