Coinciding with the celebration of the one hundred and eleventh founding
anniversary of the oldest Engineering school in the Philippines, the UST Faculty of Engineering honored four of its alumni by inducting them into the Engineering Hall of Fame.
The awarding ceremonies were held on February 17, 2018 at the Paredes
Building, UST. The award, handed by Dean Philipina A. Marcelo, Ph.D., and Engineering Regent Rev. Fr. Roberto L. Luanzon, Jr., O.P., consisted of a plaque and a golden name plate with the awardee’s name and award inscribed on it.
The name plates are found in the Hall of Fame wall at the lobby of the Roque Ruaňo, O.P. building, formerly called engineering Building.
Awarded for Entrepreneurship was William T. Belo, founder and Chairman
Emeritus of Wilcon Depot, Inc. Belo, who graduated with a degree in Electronics Engineering (EIE) in 1973, started his own hardware store in Quezon Avenue, Quezon City.
From the small Wilcon store, he has since expanded its operations and
eventually established a name trusted by industry professionals, home enthusiasts and home owners nationwide. Wilcon
Depot now carries a wide variety of local and international products and services.
Aside from his business, Belo also put up Wilcon Foundation which provides educational assistance to under privileged children and individuals, and helps victims of calamities. The foundation also assists in
the global efforts at saving the environment.
In recognition of his achievements, Belo received the “Grand MVP Bossing
Award”, and the prestigious “Presidents Outstanding Filipino Retailer” award given by the Philippine Retailers Association in cooperation with the Department of Trade and Industry.
The President and Chief Executive Officer of Pointwest Technologies,
Corporation, Engr. Maria Cristina Galang Coronel, who graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1974, was recognized for Industry Leadership.
Pointwest Technologies is a leading 100% Filipino-owned IT/BPM services company. Its accounts and projects are in the United States, New Zealand, Australia and Japan.
Coronel is currently the president and a member of the board of trustees of
the Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines, an industry association that aspires to make the Philippines the global leader in healthcare information management services.
She aspires to put the Philippines in the global map as a top destination for IT/BPM and healthcare information management services.
The former dean of the Faculty of Engineering who started a number of
‘firsts’ in the Faculty, including being the first in the University to have its classrooms air-conditioned, Prof. Alberto A. Laurito, was recognized for his efforts under the category Engineering Education.
Laurito who graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1973, served as Dean of the Faculty of Engineering from 1985 to 2000.
He also served as Assistant to the Rector for Planning and Development from 2001 to 2007 and director of the UST Education Technology Center from 2002 to 2007.
Laurito conceptualized and initiated the e-Learning Access Program (e-LeAP) in 2002 using the Blackboard Learning Management System leading
to the development and deployment of University-wide course websites. He
was also responsible for conceptualizing the Outcomes Based Education (OBE) Framework and the supporting Program Assessment and Evaluation System using the e-LeAP for the Faculty of Engineering.
It is in the area of Industry Leadership that Engr. Fortunato C. Leynes, a graduate of Electrical Engineering in 1979, was recognized. He was the first Thomasian who was named chair of the Professional Regulation Commission Board of Electrical Engineering, a position he served from 2009
to 2013. He was also the first Filipino Chief Executive of the largest of the 11 privatized distribution utilities in Nigeria, serving as managing director and Chief Executive Office of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company. He also served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Clark Electric Distribution Corporation, a subsidiary of the Manila Electric Company.
Leynes is an APEC Engineer, an ASEAN Chartered Professional Engineer
and a Fellow of the Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers.
The first recipient of the Thomasian Engineer Hall of Fame award was Rev.
Fr. Roque Ruaňo, O.P., for Engineering Design. The award was given
posthumously in 1996 in recognition of his numerous works as Civil Engineer, the most famous of which is the UST Main Building, now a National Cultural Treasure. The Main Building is the first earthquake – resistant building in the Philippines in its modern-day history.
From 1996 to date, 25 alumni of the Faculty of Engineering have been
inducted to the Hall of Fame, including Jollibee founder Dr. Tony Tan Caktiong, who received his award in 2000 for Entrepreneurship. Other recipients include Francisco Eizmendi former president of San Miguel Corporation who was awarded for Industry Leadership in 1997, and James Velasquez, former president and country manager of IBM
Philippines and currently CEO of PT&T who was awarded for Global Corporate Management in 2017
