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New DLSU President is Atenean

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IF THE Atenean ideal of being a person for others were to be personified, to say that he comes in the form of Br. Ricardo Laguda, FSC of De La Salle University (DLSU) might raise some eyebrows, given the obvious irony.

To those who know him better, though, that is precisely what Laguda is. Perhaps unknown by many in the community, Laguda, the newly appointed president of DLSU, went to the Ateneo for college, where he graduated with a degree in philosophy in 1992.

Laguda has already gone down the hill, but still lives out the Atenean ideals of magis and ad majorem Dei gloriam (all for the greater glory of God) as he continues to be a person for others—specifically for Lasallians.

A high school alumnus of the University of Saint La Salle in Bacolod, Laguda does not deny incorporating what he learned in the Ateneo in all that he does—whether as a teacher or as an administrator.

“My Lasallian and Jesuit education have been very helpful. I am fortunate enough to receive an education from the best, and it has helped me appreciate the good things that come from both schools,” he said.

Laguda had been previously appointed in various administrative positions within the La Salle system. He was appointed DLSU chancellor in 2010 and became the local superior for De La Salle Philippines the following year.

Opening another chapter in his life by taking the reins in DLSU, Laguda formally assumed his new post last June 16.

Jesuit influence

Laguda acknowledges the influence of the Ateneo and Jesuit education on his life. He particularly noted the theology and philosophy programs for having left an impact on him.

He said that both subjects shaped his way of thinking because they presented him different ways of looking at life.

“[The two programs have] helped me become more reflective on how life should be, and [taught me] what it means to be a Christian,” he added.

Laguda talked about some of his teachers and recounted his experiences with them.

“I had excellent teachers,” he said, counting among them Jesuits Fr. Roque Ferriols, SJ, Fr. Nemesio Que, SJ, Fr. Mario Francisco, SJ, and Fr. Adolfo Dacanay, SJ, as well as veteran faculty members Roberto Guevara and Eduardo Calasanz.”

He said that Ferriols was a linguist who was strict on the use of Filipino in his philosophy classes. “For him, to speak in Filipino—in straight Filipino—is a discipline. He would never allow you to speak in ‘Taglish’ or in mixed languages. If you do that, he believes you are not thinking well.”

Aside from this, Laguda credited his professors in philosophy and theology for contributing to his penchant for the religious life. He recalled his immersion with the Aetas, which was part of Guevara’s class on the theology of liberation. “That made an impact on me. We lived with them,” he said.

“The kind of teaching that they were imparting to me have only strengthened my love for religious life in general, but specifically the Brothers’ life,” he added.

Plausible collaborations

Despite their similarities, the Ateneo and La Salle are still thought of by many merely as rival institutions. Laguda, however, thinks that this rivalry is good.

“I always believed that rivalry has brought out the best in [both] institutions in terms of competitions in sports and academics,” he said. He admitted, however, that the rivalry also brought out the worst whenever it escalated to violence, such as in games, and this is an issue that he wishes to minimize.

He noted that the competition between the two universities should end at the court. “We have a healthy competition, but what is not being said is the many collaborations we have done, whether in research or in nation-building.”

Laguda said that some things he wanted to look into are areas for synergy and collaboration between the Ateneo and La Salle, especially in research and education.

The idea of an Ateneo–La Salle partnership is something Laguda has already been eyeing since his appointment as DLSU chancellor.

In an interview with The GUIDON in 2010, he expressed his desire for collaboration, especially towards nation-building. Since then, attempts at a possible partnership have already been made.

In 2010, “Ugnayan” was launched as an endowment fund for collaborations between the two universities on the student level.

If given the chance to meet Ateneo President Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ, Laguda said he would discuss how the two schools could best work together.

“The focus will be nation-building,” he said. “[The two schools] have tremendous resources in terms of intellect and human capital.”

Complementary on two levels

In line with his dream of collaboration and partnership, Laguda remarked that the Ateneo and La Salle are complementary in terms of their ideals and education.

Laguda said that DLSU could learn from the Jesuit tradition in the liberal arts, and that the Ateneo could learn from La Salle’s “innovative and practical” education.

He said that the Atenean value of magis and the conviction to do everything ad majorem Dei gloriam are similar to the values of faith, service and communion that La Salle instills in its students.

“When we want to become persons for others, [and] at the same time, instill that value of AMDG, we make sure that it is not only the person we are looking at [but we also remember to] glorify God in those areas we wish to accomplish,” he said. “I think that’s a very Jesuit way of looking at things, and it’s very much also, in the same way, Lasallian.”