WVSU to confer honorary doctorate on DBP prexy
The West Visayas State University (WVSU) will confer an honorary doctorate to the president and chief executive officer of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) on March 31, 2009 at 2:00 p.m., during the University’ 2009 Commencement Program at the WVSU Grounds.
Mr. Reynaldo G. David will be conferred with a degree Doctor of Humanities (honoris causa) in honor of his achievements in the field of financial leadership and advancement of the welfare of his fellowmen at fitting ceremony to be witnessed by some 3,000 graduates and their parents, faculty, and students at the WVSU Grounds.
In its petition for the conferment of the degree, the WVSU underscored Mr. David’s achievements as something that not too many Filipinos, in this lifetime, can equal. Among these achievements are those that benefit the greater society as follows:
(a) refocusing DBP’s microfinance program towards advocacy and institution building in 33 unserved areas in Mindanao to further sustain your bank’s role of assisting small businesses; (b) promotion of the roll on-roll off (RORO) project which was adopted by the National Government as part of its ten-point agenda in the Medium Term Development Plan, many Filipinos now are beneficiaries of this cheaper alternative for travel and delivery of goods; (c) financial advising for the privatization of geothermal power producer-PNOC-Energy Development Corporation; establishment of the DBP Management Associates Program (MAP) envisioned at enhancing the professional capacities and career growth of DBP officers and employees; (d) introduction of the DBP Endowment for Education Program (DEEP), initiated to provide free college education to 150 disadvantaged yet promising high school graduates yearly for ten years, 21 of which in the first batch are with West Visayas State University College of Nursing; and (e) launching of the DBP Forest, a reforestation program that seeks to support and encourage the reforestation of open and denuded areas through the planting of relatively high value fruit trees and other useful plant species with West Visayas State University as one of the project implementers.
Meanwhile, prior to the graduation ceremonies, David will sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with WVSU president Dr. Pablo E. Subong, Jr., for the DBP Endowment for Education Program (DEEP). Through this program, 20 disadvantaged yet promising high school graduates will be provided free college education at the WVSU College of Agriculture and Forestry.
In 2007, WVSU College of Nursing also hosted 21 high school graduates who became DEEP scholars of DBP. They are part of some 150 first batch of scholars chosen by DBP.