Tribute to the homebuilding essentials provider

ÁùºÏ²ÊÖ±²¥¿ª½± Rector fr. Richard G. Ang, O.P., PhD hailed Belo’s perseverance and resourcefulness, which stemmed from his family’s entrepreneurial upbringing. The Thomasian alumnus’ shrewdness led him to pioneering ventures and his innovative approaches paved way for thriving enterprises that opened doors to countless individuals. “He is a man of vision. His leadership in the corporate world has not only revolutionized industries, but also created opportunities for the economic growth of the Philippines,” fr. Ang said.

The Rector recalled that the recent lockdowns also prompted them to improve and to rehabilitate the Thomasian community’s home in preparation for the new work and study setup; he likewise expressed his gratitude to Belo for lending his hand. “Home is a basic human need that provides comfort and safety. For this reason, the legacy of our honorary as the alchemist of home improvements will live on in our hearts and memories,” fr. Ang said.

Graduate School Dean Prof. Michael Antony C. Vasco, PhD, referencing economist Adam Smith, described Belo as a person who selflessly offered his ability to put himself in the position of impartial observer to form a sympathetic notion of the moral merits of the case, thus demonstrating the three Thomasian core values of competence, compassion, and commitment. “Mr. Belo’s belief of providing support to human development by sharing the fruits of his success to the greater number of people who are in need of such assistance, by making his business empire an instrument to provide access and opportunity to improve the lives of people and the environment, demonstrates his existential concern to his fellow men and penchant support for ÁùºÏ²ÊÖ±²¥¿ª½±’s mission of serving the Church, the nation, and the global community,” Vasco said.

Credit to a well-rounded Thomasian formation

In his message of gratitude, Belo attributed his success to the Thomasian education he obtained and eventually imbued in running his enterprise–the largest and leading distributor of homebuilding essentials in the country. “With our University’s trust to develop competent, compassionate persons committed to serve the Church, the nation and the global community, I became a well-rounded individual well-equipped with technical know-how, social, and interpersonal skills, and most importantly, the moral fortitude to pursue my dreams not for myself alone but for God, [and for my] country as well,” Belo said. He then thanked his professors for molding him, as well as enabling him to translate his aspirations into reality.

Belo also shared the three entwining aspects he learned in his career: 1) The importance of value-driven vision and dreams, and what you want to become. 2) The value of hardwork in building meaningful relationships. 3) The sense of fulfilment in service in giving back.

The Faculty of Engineering and the ÁùºÏ²ÊÖ±²¥¿ª½± Graduate School spearheaded the cause for Belo’s recognition, which received the stamps of approval of the Council of Regents, Academic Senate, and the University’s Board of Trustees.

The man behind Wilcon

With a degree of BS Electronics and Communications Engineering (BS-ECE) from the Faculty of Engineering, Belo started as a simple entrepreneur and owner of a 645-square-foot hardware store along Quezon Avenue in 1977.

Driven by his focus and desire to be of service to Filipino homebuilders, and with a strong belief that Filipinos should be given the best product choices for their homes, Belo founded the Wilcon Builders Depot, and Wilcon Home Essentials — Wilcon Corporation’s two-store format that covers a wide array of products, including local and international brands of tiles and flooring, plumbing and sanitary wares, electrical and lighting products, hardware and tools, furniture, furnishings and houseware, paints, appliances, and building materials, among others.

In 2022, he received The Outstanding Thomasian Alumni (TOTAL) Award. He was also named the “Man of the Year of the Asia Leaders” by the Manila Times.

Wilcon Builders Foundation, Inc. is a nonstock, non-profit, socio-civic organization, with philanthropic engagements such as providing educational assistance, extending a helping hand to the victims of calamities, and initiating efforts to save the environment.

The ÁùºÏ²ÊÖ±²¥¿ª½± confers honorary awards on noteworthy individuals, through the conferment of Honorary Academic Degrees and Honorary Professor ranks.

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A testament of synergy between the two dynamic institutions, the newly signed ADI Professorial Chair Award Donation, totaling to one million pesos over the course of five years, will further empower the Faculty of Engineering to undertake projects that will boost excellence in the field of research, as well as to pave way for professorial chair lectures that will distinguish a faculty member’s academic excellence and recognize his/her service to the University.

On behalf of the University, Vice-Rector for Finance and Faculty of Engineering Regent Rev. fr. Roberto L. Luanzon, Jr., O.P., SThD and Office of Grants, Endowments, and Partnerships in Higher Education (OGEP) Director Rev. fr. Maximo P. Gatela, O.P., PhL led the MoA signing alongside the ADI’s representatives, Mr. Miles Ramirez, Country Manager, and Ms. Cindy Cabezas, Human Resource Director.

The formalization of ties was witnessed by Faculty of Engineering Dean Prof. Angelo R. Dela Cruz, PhD; Assistant Dean Asst. Prof. Cristina Tiangco, PhD; Faculty Secretary Asst. Prof. Ma. Luisa T. Asilo; Department of Electronics Engineering Chair Asst. Prof. Edison A. Roxas; Industry Government Academe and Alumni Relations Program Representative Engr. Maria Sharlene L. Insigne; Physics Laboratory Supervisor Engr. Gabriel Rodnei M. Geslani; OGEP Executive Assistant Mr. Levine Andro H. Lao, PhL-MA; and Networking and Liaison Officer of ÁùºÏ²ÊÖ±²¥¿ª½± Research and Endowments Foundation, Inc. (REFI) Mr. Christian L. Naval.

ADI has established a longstanding partnership with the University, with the Department of Electronics Engineering being a beneficiary of the support. The said institution also provided high-performance computational devices, staged training to students and immersion to faculty members, as well as granted MS-ECE scholarships.

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Medicine, biology as top programs in terms of research publications and outputs

Research productivity especially in the fields of Medicine and Biology was recognized by EduRank 2023 for being the highest among the specializations offered by ÁùºÏ²ÊÖ±²¥¿ª½±. At 586 publications and 15,545 citations, Medicine-related studies ranked highest, followed by BIology, the Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Psychology, Environmental Science, Chemistry, Engineering, Business, Botany, and Ecology, among others.

100 notable alumni including national heroes and leaders

EduRank also included in its list 100 notable alumni, headlined by National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal, and past Presidents Manuel L. Quezon, Sergio Osmeña, Sr., Jose P. Laurel, and Diosdado Macapagal. The roster also included business tycoon and philantrophist Tony Tan Caktiong, DBA (hons) (Chairman Emeritus and Founder of Jollbee Foods Corporation), the late Metrobank Founder George S.K. Ty, PhD (hons)., the late SGV Co. co-founder washington SyCip (Accounting), as well as National Artists Francisco Sionil Jose (Literature), Bienvenido Lumbera (Literature), Cirilo Bautista (Literature), and Francisco Mañosa (Architecture).

Sports stalwarts like Ernest John Obiena (Electronics Engineering student), Alyssa Valdez (Junior High School), Dylan Ababou, and Jervy Cruz also made the list, along with filmmakers Brillante Mendoza and Ronnie del Carmen. The list included prominent Filipinos dating all the way back to the 19th century who have made a name for themselves in various fields of endeavor.

EduRank, according to its website and ranking method, uses a database of 44,909,300 scientific publications and 1,237,541,960 citations across 246 research topics. Research performance accounts for 45 percent, while non-academic performance accounts for 45 percent. Alumni score comprises the remaining ten percent.

For more information:  

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In the recently concluded , administered by the Professional Regulation Commission, the University produced 57 newly licensed Electronics Engineers.

Meanwhile, the University is named 2nd top performing school in the Electronics Technician (ECT) licensure examination after posting a 92.94% rating, producing 79 Thomasian Electronics Technicians.

Three alumni from the BS-Electronics Engineering program made it to the topnotchers list. Mr. Jude Nico Dela Cruz Zabala claimed the top spot for his personal rating of 90%, followed by Mr. Jon Carlitos Hipolito Liwag who landed in the second place with his 88% rating, and Mr. Juan Carlo Ramos Latonio secured the third rank after garnering an 87% rating.Ìý

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The award is conferred upon students who win in national or international competitions, demonstrating the commitment to pursue Thomasian excellence. “[The Pope John Paul II award] means a lot to me and I have been looking at it, it is beautiful. I never really thought that ÁùºÏ²ÊÖ±²¥¿ª½± would recognize me and the things I have done. I have always been a part of the University even if I was away,” Obiena said.

In his message, Vice-Rector the Rev. fr. Isaias D. Tiongco, O.P., JCD lauded Obiena’s medal rush, as well as his “self-discipline, confidence, determination, and rigorous training that are bearing much fruit”.

Moreover, while reminding the world-class athlete to prioritize his well-being above everything else, the Vice-Rector gave his blessings to Obiena in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics. “It is the hope not only of your fellow Thomasians but, more so, to our Filipino countrymen that you come back home victorious and make us all prouder not only as a Thomasian Olympian but more prestigiously, a Thomasian Olympic Champion,” fr. Tiongco said.

Obiena, whose rise to international prominence is due to consecutive victories in various competitions, recently bagged the gold medal for soaring past 5.91 meters in the Brussels Diamond League, held in Belgium on September 2, 2022.

The renowned athlete has so far brought home 17 medals–12 of which were gold– in 2022.

He also represented the country in the Summer Olympics 2020 held in Tokyo. Obiena also snagged a bronze in theÌý World Athletics Championships, making him the sole Filipino to have snagged an award in the feat.

Photos by Hans Lawrence V. Malgapu

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The team’s project was called “Vision-based Face Mask and Face Shield Detection using YOLOv5”, a proposed automated solution engineered to reduce exposure of authorities who are checking temperatures in public spaces, as well as providing a fast and efficient monitoring.

Asst. Prof. Edison A. Roxas, PhD, PECE of the Department of Electronics Engineering and Research Center for Natural and Applied Sciences was the team’s adviser.

Watch their presentation here:

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Their paper was entitled “Development of an Electroencephalogram-based (EEG) Brain Computer Interface for Upper Limb Control in Spinal Cord Injury Patients”, a robotic assistive device that decodes and translates brain signals into commands that guide the movement of artificial limbs attached to SCI patients.

“In our research study, we investigate whether the use of data transformation and augmentation techniques, together with Hybrid-scale Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), could allow us to record a few data from SCI patients, and then create a synthetic training data to compensate for the training of CNN while maintaining the desirable degree of accuracy,” Sigua said in the presentation.

Moreover, the ten participants, aged between 20 to 69 years old, were patients with subacute and chronic cervical SCI, and were experiencing restricted hand movements.

In summary, the team proposed a hybrid-scale convolutional neural network (HS-CNN) architecture with integrated data augmentation and, thereby, showed significant improvement in the accuracy of EEG motor-imagery classification of hand movements for SCI patients. Moreover, their proposed method has shown a 23.25% improvement rate to patients with SCI.

Department of Electronics Engineering faculty member Engr. Seigfred V. Prado, MRes, MSc, SMIEEE served as the team’s adviser.

Watch their presentation here:

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The University’s general passing rate was higher than the 47.84% national ratings.

Moreover, the University posted a 100% passing rate in the Electronics Technician licensure examinations, above the 75.77% national ratings, producing 17 new Thomasian Electronics Technicians.

Meanwhile, BS-ECE alumnus Mr. Tim Patrick Nieves posted an 87.80% personal rating in the ECE licensure examinations, clinching to the 9th place, while he also posted a 93% personal rating in the ECT licensure examinations, securing the 3rd place.

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Both the ECE and the ECT licensure examinations were administered by the Professional Regulation Commission.

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The Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering program was granted full accreditation status (6 years, from A.Y. 2015-2016 – A.Y. 2020-2021, in recognition of its established and substantially mature outcomes-based educational delivery systems. Meanwhile, the five other programs—Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, and Industrial Engineering—were accorded limited-term accreditation, and may be considered for full accreditation pending another visit.The visit was conducted last May 4-6, 2015, with the team chaired by Engr. Noe Enriquez, PIE.

#ThomasianExcellence

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This accreditation status is valid until November 2018.

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