12/07/2023
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THE HONORABLE Congressman Dr. Jose Francisco βKikoβ B. Benitez, Representative of the Third District of Negros Occidental, has been set to deliver a keynote address on July 29, 2023, Saturday, at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Pasay City before the Graduating Class of 2023 and the entire Philippine Womenβs University (PWU) Community.
βAs a well-respected politician, my predecessor as the 9th PWU President, a 2017 Asiaβs Education Excellence awardee, and a member of the EdCom 2 tasked to craft the direction of the Republicβs educational pathway, Dr. Kikoβs words of wisdom would be an immense inspiration to our graduates who are now ready to embark on a new chapter in their lives, guided by what PWU espouses: academic excellence, personal integrity, diversity, service, and commitment,β shared the 10th PWU President Marco Alfredo M. Benitez.
PWU Chancellor and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Felina C. Young, joined the announcement, stating that βDr. Kikoβs presence at this PWU milestone will also serve as his homecoming to PWU.β
The whole steering committees for this centennial Commencement have unanimously agreed on the aptly phrased theme, βPatriots: Recognizing a Century of Excellence and Exemplary Leadership,β which sits well with PWUβs tradition of excellence and leadership over the past 104 years.
The presence of Congressman Benitez is also a βrecognition of his continued service in government and society, thereby embodying the values and stature of PWU,β added President Marco Benitez.
Dr. Kiko announced his candidacy for Congress in the May 2019 elections to continue the family tradition of public service.
The founder and first dean of the UP College of Business Administration, Dean Conrado F. Benitez, was one of "The 7 Wise Menβ who drafted the 1935 Philippine Constitution. The late Senator Helena Zoila Benitez was an international leader and advocate for womenβs issues.
In his inaugural speech in 2010 as the 9th PWU President, Dr. Kiko proposed to the PWU Community βto build on our own comprehensive approach to social development.β This proposal has been cascaded outside the PWU Community as he now serves in the government.
Although Dr. Kiko Benitez has left the academe, he continues to champion education-related bills.
He also champions βbills that promote new development paradigms that balance the imperatives of social equity, economy and ecology, and aim to harness technological innovations to ensure a sustainable economy. He authored bills to address the countryβs housing needs; accelerate the digital transformation of our economy, and bureaucracy; strengthen creative industries; and promote blue economy, circular economy, food security, and sustainable urbanization, to name a few,β his official website states.
Congressman Kiko Benitez earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Comparative Literature (minor in Southeast Asian Studies) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a B.A. in Comparative Literature (summa cm laude) and English (cum laude) from Cornell University in New York.
Dr. Kiko now joins a list of illustrious PWU Commencement speakers that includes Dr. Tito Boy Abunda (alumnus); Chief Justice Hon. Reynato S. Puno; Manuel βMannyβ B. Villar, Jr.; and City of Manila Mayor Dr. Maria Sheilah βHoneyβ Lacuna-Pangan, to mention a few.
PWU is celebrating its 104th founding year in 2023.
It was founded on June 9, 1919 when educators and civic rights leaders Francisca Tirona Benitez together with Clara Aragon, Concepcion Aragon, Paz Marquez Benitez, Carolina Ocampo Palma, Mercedes Rivera, and Socorro Marquez Zaballero, founded the Philippine Womenβs College (PWC), with Paz Marquez Benitez serving as its first president.
In 1932, thirteen years after opening, the college won the university status, becoming known henceforth as the Philippine Women's University and thus, the first university for women in Asia founded by Asians.
PWU started admitting male students in the 1970s and is now fully co-educational.
Amid the foray of the COVID-19 pandemic, PWU yielded three board top notchers: Haydee Soriano Bacani, Top 1 in the 2021 Nurse Licensure Examination; Jefferson PiΓ±on Medrano, Top 7 in the 2021 Social Worker Licensure Examination; and Frauline Kathleen Ortiona Galace, Top 4 in the 2022 Pharmacist Licensure Examination.
Full Prof. Dr. Lio Munalim and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Menchita F. Dumlao chairs and co-chairs, respectively, this yearβs Commencement.
