Last Saturday, the Singson Auditorium at the Ateneo campus was filled with energy and cheer, thanks to the people who showed up for friendship, community and purpose. As the current president of SAGE (Samahan ng mga Atenistang Graduate ng Economics at Management Economics), it gave me great joy to welcome alumni across generations, professors, staff, students, and friends who made time to come home.
I shared in my welcome remarks a truth I deeply believe in: your presence reveals your priorities. You came because you value relationships. And as the landmark Harvard Study on Adult Development which has been running for 87 years now shows, the strongest predictor of long, joyful life is the quality of our relationships. Not wealth, not achievement, but relationship. Last Saturday was a beautiful reminder of that. In fact, to make sure that they will never miss a homecoming, I asked them to take out their cellphones and calendar the event to repeat yearly as “every last Saturday of November!”
L-The author delivering her welcome remarks at the 3rd SAGE Homecoming. R-the alumni putting SAGE Homecoming on their phone calendars as a yearly event—every last Saturday of November.
Honoring two SAGE icons
During the homecoming, we honored two graduates of A.B. Economics batch 1973: Former BSP Governor Amando “Say’ M. Tetangco, Jr. and Jose “Boboy” T. Garrovillo of the Apo Hiking Society.
Gov. Say delivered a keynote rich with reflection, leadership lessons, and context for our theme—Rekindling Friendship, Integrity, and Hope.
Governor Say Tetangco (Eco, 1973) delivering his keynote speech and receiving a commissioned wooden trophy by Charming Baldemor from SAGE president and ADMU president.
On friendship, he shared:
“Real friendship in leadership is not sentimental. It is disciplined… the soil from which trust grows.”
On integrity, he reminded us:
“Integrity does not demand perfection; it demands constancy… the courage to uphold truth even when the cost is personal.”
And on hope, he grounded us with purpose:
“Hope is not blind optimism; it is stewardship… the confidence that persistence, done collectively and with integrity, will yield progress.”
His words landed deeply, especially at a time when clarity and principled leadership are in short supply.
Next on the program was Boboy Garrovillo. I remember what he told me days before the event, “Rose, why are you making me speak after my super smart batchmate?” But I was confident that he would be just fine. Being a music icon, I was more that sure that his storytelling will engage the alumni.
Boboy Garrovillo (Eco, 1973) delivering his message and receiving his certificate of Recognition from SAGE president and ADMU president.
True enough, we were all-ears when he hilariously recounted how he ended up in Economics. He said, “At first, I wanted to take up Psychology but people said, ‘Sige, magiging teacher ka!’ e ayokong maging teacher. Then I considered Management, e ang daming accounting subjects, debit, credit, ayoko din. So, Economics, mayabang pa ko, sabi ko Eco-Honors, tapos nakita ko may mga Calculus subjects, so Eco na lang!” He also shared some business principles which he called the “Economics of Showbiz,” explaining supply and demand in the entertainment industry with the perfect blend of humor and insight.
You see, economic principles are definitely applicable in the many important aspects of life. In fact, the homily of Fr. Chester Yacub, S.J. (MA Eco, 2017) during the thanksgiving mass, he offered three points to ponder upon:
- Attention is today’s most valuable economic resource. What captures our focus shapes our direction and molds our character.
- Opportunity cost also applies to our spiritual life. Every choice we make means saying no to something else. Jesus invites us to rebalance the portfolio of our lives so that we put at the center what truly matters.
- The gospel asks us to value our life differently from the usual—not just focusing on income, titles, and achievements, but using another metric that’s focused on purpose, generosity, relationships, and integrity.
Fr. Bobby Yap, S.J. (ADMU president and Eco-H, 1980), also affirmed the role of Economics in formation, leadership and service when he delivered his short message.
Fr. Chester Yacub, S.J. (MA Eco, 2017) delivering his economic principle-filled homily, and Fr. Bobby Yap, S.J. (ADMU president and SAGE member, Eco-H 1980) delivering his message.
The formal launch of the SAGE Scholarship Fund
A significant moment of the event was the formal launch of the SAGE Scholarship Fund. To bring the cause closer to the hearts of the alumni, we showed a short video that contains excerpts from my interview with Eugene Dela Cruz, a former street beggar who graduated with honors from the university with a degree in Economics, Honors Program with the help of scholarships. (Click Invitation to SAGE Scholarship with Eugene Dela Cruz to watch the video)
And what a launch it was: P5 million was donated by the Golden Jubilarians Batch 1975, led by Francis Sebastian (Chairman of the GT Capital Holdings Inc.), a tremendous show of generosity and love for future economists. Their contribution, a perpetual fund, kick-starts our project to support promising Eco students who need financial assistance.
Economics Batch 1975 handing over the Php 5 million check donation to the SAGE Scholarship Fund.
I called on all batches to donate. Through this project, we hope to breed the next generation of economists who will be the future leaders of the land serving with competence, conscience, and compassion, truly men and women for others.
Interested donors can use any of the above channels.
A community that shows up
I left the event deeply grateful for the people who made it happen: Joly Macuja, Eco-H 1985 who was the punong abala together with Nandy Aldaba and the other SAGE Board members who poured creativity, energy, and heart into this event, the Economics Department staff who helped in organizing everything, and our young Eco and Management Eco students who devoted their Saturday to the event with such enthusiasm.
I will say this gently and honestly: in events like this, you notice the people who show up—and sometimes, the ones who don’t. And that’s part of life. We all have seasons of giving and seasons of resting. So, I choose gratitude—for everyone who came, volunteered, supported, and quietly rooted for us. Thank you.
Going home, moving forward
As I looked around the auditorium that afternoon, I felt the truth of Gov. Say’s closing challenge:
“Let us remain the steady hands in a restless world—anchored by integrity, strengthened by friendship, and sustained by hope.”
In the end, that is what homecomings are for—not just for nostalgia or formality, but for recommitment. To each other. To our values. To the nation we continue to build.
To everyone who showed up Saturday: Maraming Salamat po. Let’s keep rekindling what truly matters. AMDG.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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This article is also published in FQMom.com