Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles on Tuesday received the Tanglaw ng Bayan Award from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), saying he was honored to be recognized by “the largest state university in the country.”
“PUP has for over a century stayed true to its calling as an academic institution that believes that: one, education is an instrument for the development of the citizenry and for the enhancement of nation building; and two, that meaningful growth and transformation of the country are best achieved in an atmosphere of brotherhood, peace, freedom, justice and a nationalist-oriented education,” said the Palace official, who was the commencement speaker at PUP’s graduation rites in Quezon City.
Nograles said that because of this, “the products of PUP and this progressive learning environment, I believe, speak for themselves.“
“The industries PUP graduates excel in dovetails with the human resource components of the Duterte Administration’s 10-Point Socioeconomic Agenda.”
“In recent surveys, PUP is the top school overall preferred by employers. By industry, PUP graduates are the top choices in the BPO industry, manufacturing, banking, and information technology,” added the former legislator from Mindanao.
In terms of student population, PUP is considered the largest state university in the Philippines, with over 65,000 students in 22 campuses in Luzon. It confers the Tanglaw ng Bayan (Light of the Nation) Award––the highest award of recognition bestowed by PUP––on individuals who have outstanding achievements and have made significant contributions to society.
According to Nograles, “the industries PUP graduates excel in dovetails with the human resource components of the Duterte Administration’s 10-Point Socioeconomic Agenda, which calls for investment in human capital development, including health and education systems, and the matching of skills and training to meet the demands of businesses and the private sector” as well as “the promotion of science, technology, and the creative arts to enhance innovation and creative capacity towards self-sustaining, inclusive development.”
In this light, state universities like PUP, Nograles stressed, play significant roles in achieving the goals of the 2017-2022 Philippine Development Plan, which seeks to provide every Filipino citizen with a life that is “matatag, maginhawa, at panatag. (stable, comfortable, and peaceful).”
Nograles challenged the new PUP graduates to take to heart the words of Children’s Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman, who said that “the purpose of education is to improve the lives of others and to leave your community and your world better than when you found it.”
“These are words you should all take to heart, for you are not just Iskolar ng Bayan, you are now Graduates ng Bayan.”
“These are words you should all take to heart, for you are not just Iskolar ng Bayan, you are now Graduates ng Bayan. Your success is the success of the people who helped shoulder the costs of your education, the very same people who now look to you to help fuel our nation’s development and bring the country forward, who depend on you to be agents and partners for positive change.”
Nograles was appointed Cabinet Secretary last month while serving his third term as representative of the First District of Davao.
A lawyer who obtained his law degree from the Ateneo School of Law, Nograles was the Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations before joining the Executive Branch. As Appropriations Chair, Nograles ensured funding for the Free Higher Education Law, the increase in the salaries of our soldiers and policemen, free irrigation for our farmers, and the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Trust Fund.
The Davao native is known as an advocate for education. His brainchild, the Oplan Kaalam Scholarship Program, is one of the biggest educational assistance programs in the country. He is also one of the co-authors of Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Law.
Nograles’ previous awards include the Golden Globe Awards for Excellence in Public Service in 2015 and 2016, and Outstanding Congressman Award in 2012 and again in 2015.
