The 2019 Service Awards recognized and honored associates and faculty who have served the College and performed extraordinarily well for five years to 30 years, earlier today, September 27, at the Augusto-Rosario Gonzalez (ARG) Theater, Taft Campus.

Chancellor Robert Tang opened the event with addressing this year as the Lasallian Tercentenary, the 300 years is a celebration of living in Saint John Baptist de La Salle’s legacy which aims to provide a Christian education to the marginalized and the poor.

“We, in Benilde, our associates are our greatest assets and we are delighted to honor your service,” Tang said.

SDEAS Faculty and host of the Service Awards, Ms. Rochelle Martin, stated in an interview with The Benildean that the service awards is held “to be grateful for all the people who worked hard and recognizing the people who have worked for five to 30 years [in Benilde].”

Moreover, according to Ms. Martin, this is the first year the College has awarded members of the Benildean community for 30 years of service. It was also marked as the year that had the most number of awardees in the history of Benilde with 299 service awards and 12 permanency awards given to associates and faculty; among these were seven retirees.

The 30-year service awardees are as follows:

• Rene Valladolid of School of Diplomacy and Governance (SDG)
• Arlene Sarabia of School of Management and Information Technology (SMIT)
• Cleofe Capito of Department of Student Life-Office of Student Behavior (DSL-OSB)

30-year awardee Capito shared her journey in Benilde from 1989 saying, “In my 30 years of working here, I’ve experienced growth, expansion of the College, and the increasing number of diverse students. I hope I could still be a part in witnessing the construction of more buildings in DLS-CSB.”

The awarding was concluded with honoring and serenading of retirees by Benildean associates Francis Adonis Fernando and Mariya Manalili.