By Farah G. Decano

 

I celebrated my first anniversary as Dean of the Lyceum Northwestern University College of Law recently.  My gratitude to President Luz Duque-Hammersheimb, Atty. Gonzalo Duque, and Dr. Francisco Duque III for giving me a free hand in steering the college to new heights.

The leadership style of the Duques is of the type that does not curtail initiatives and creativity.  Given the university rules and policies, deans and faculty members are allowed to rely on their own, “diskarte.”  When it comes to political and religious beliefs, they do not impose their opinion on others “just because.”

True to their being good educators, they respect the academic freedom of the university’s faculty members. One of the greatest disasters that can befall upon any individual is the inability to think for oneself.  If one’s thoughts and beliefs are restrained, then the university will not be conducive to a free exchange of ideas which is a requisite of learning. Faculty members will merely be conduits while students will just be robotic receptacles.

Given this supportive environment in the LNU, there is sufficient wiggle room reserved for me to implement changes and overcome the challenges. I was able to invite stellar professors from the nation’s top universities in addition to its already esteemed faculty members.  The law curriculum was also revised which I hope will improve the bar rating in three to four years.  Enrollment has increased by 375% in just one year since my appointment as Dean.

One of the reasons for the college’s upward trend is the appointment of Bituin Aquino as College Secretary.  “Miss B,” as how she is called in the college, is herself an accomplished individual with exemplary experiences in tow.   She shares many values with me which makes the management of the law department easier.   Like the dean and the faculty members, she disdains cheating as a prelude to corruption and values teaching as a way of imparting patriotism.

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August is significant for Dagupeños because this is the month that we remember the birth of the first Filipino-Chinese Mayor of Dagupan City who happens to be the father of the Bangus Festival, Benjamin S. Lim; and the death of most-loved, “Pinablin Ama ng Dagupan,” Alipio F. Fernandez Jr.   As a former councilor, I was lucky to have experienced the leadership of both notable chief executives of the city.   

Mayor Lim was executive-ish but courteous. He would rather exercise his authority through persuasion than imposition.  He started his meetings on the dot, conducted the discussion in a bullet-proof manner (a.k.a. direct to the point) and ended the same on time.  He respected the time of those in attendance by ensuring that avoidable disturbances were not entertained while the meeting was ongoing.  Being a visionary with brilliant ideas, Mayor Lim was focused on his goals and got most things done in a short time.

Mayor Al was gentle and fatherly in approach. He preferred starting business with a lot of pleasantries, humor and stories.  A very charming raconteur whose stories did not include fake news and gossip, he was able to impress even the most brilliant among us. His conversations were replete with wit and bits of knowledge.  While he got things done, albeit at a longer time, he achieved friendship with those in attendance. 

I gratefully acknowledge that Mayor Lim introduced me to politics through the assistance of Engineer Joseph Lo.   I likewise remember Mayor Al with fondness for supporting my legislative measures and other initiatives, and thus getting myself elected as the National President of the Lady Local Legislators’ League of the Philippines.   

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