Senator Joel Villanueva Addresses New Set of CLSU Graduates

The Central Luzon State University successfully held its 31st Mid-year Commencement Exercises virtually, today, February 14, conferring a total of 516 graduates with their respective academic degrees.            Among the graduates, 20 are from the College of Education; 301 from the College of Agriculture; 52 from the College of Engineering; 12 from the College of Veterinary Science and Medicine; 36 from the College of Arts and Sciences; 15 from the College of Science; 12 from the College of Business Administration and Accountancy; 7 from the College of Fisheries; 28 from the College of Home Science and Industry, and 33 from the Distance, Open, and Transnational University. Of the 516 graduates, 22 received academic awards and six special awards.                Senator Joel “TESDAMAN” J. Villanueva, a member of the CLSU Board of Regents and the Chairperson of two important Senate Committees namely: Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development, and the Higher, Technical and Vocational Education graced the graduation ceremony as the guest of honor and commencement speaker.               In his commencement address, Senator Villanueva extended his felicitations to the graduates and reminded them that this momentous occasion is a celebration of hard work, sacrifices, successes, and hope.     “Graduates, always remember that you grew up in the home of champions. You learn from and with the best minds in the respected fields. You are the living, breathing, and walking success stories of CLSU,” he said in his speech.    He expressed his appreciation to CLSU for being one of the best institutions of higher learning in the country and called it the “Mother of Agricultural School in the Philippines.”               Senator Villanueva earned his moniker “TESDAman” after serving the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for five consecutive years from 2010 until 2015. His extensive years of stewardship as the agency’s secretary changed the public impression about Tech-Voc education in the country and has laid a reliable foundation in advancing the cause of Filipino students and workers at home and abroad.   His advocacy is also instrumental in strengthening the education support in the country, championing not only higher education institutions in the Philippines, but also the different local organizations and industries that support technical and vocational education. In support of the development of smart campuses, he advocated for the passing of the P3-billion budget allocation to ensure the continuity in the delivery of education services in the new normal setting and initiated budget appropriation for the operationalization of face-to-face and smart campus development.    Moreover, he also campaigned for the implementation of two significant acts that generally supported the country’s needs to manage and recover from the pandemic: the Republic Act No. 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act (Bayanihan 1) and the Republic Act No. 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2), specifically lobbying the budget allocation for State Universities and Colleges (SUCs).    “Bilang produkto ng CLSU malaki ang inaasahan sa inyo ng ating bayan. Manatili kayong uhaw sa kaalaman, handa sa pagbabago at daan ng masayang pagbabago,” he added.               Concluding his speech, Senator Villanueva challenged the graduates to look back on all the challenges they have surpassed, to honor the people that made them persevere and become resilient, to live life with compassion for people, to stay grounded, to be open to lifelong learning, and to use their respective profession to uplift others.