Energy Sec guests VSU grad, mum about Senate plans

BAYBAY CITY – Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla, former governor of Leyte, who is said to be joining the administration for the senatorial fray on 2016, did not categorically confirm nor deny it.

“I am still thinking about it,” adding that there was “more to it than just running.”

In a press conference, he said that to run for senate, “you have to have a goal. You just don’t run because you want to run,” he said, adding that “being an LGU official is more fun” because one gets things done as an executive.

“Maraming gusto tumakbo, but the whole point is, is there is a need to? Do we need to represent Visayas? Is my forte doing things or debating?” He also said, “Maybe it is just looking at the numbers and the possibility (of winning). If lahat tutulong, bakit hindi?”

Petilla, if he runs for Senate and wins, would be the third from the Eastern Visayas region. The region has had only two senators: Jose Avelino of Calbayog City, a founder of the Liberal Party, and Carlos Tan of Ormoc City, who would later be dislodged in an election protest by Eulogio Rodriguez Jr.  They were elected in 1947 yet, and since then, nobody from the region has been elected as Senator.

Petilla was in this city this week, to keynote the graduation exercises of the Visayas State University, where 1,060 young men and women romped off with their diplomas.

He also inaugurated the Renewable Energy Research Center at the VSU, where its head Dr. Edilberto Guarte, has successfully invented vehicle that runs on “bio-diesel”.

Afterwards, he had a meeting with the Federation of Regional Eight Cooperatives (FRECOR), which was having a 3-day sports fest at this city, before moving on to meet with heads of various government hospitals in the Province.

Both meetings were “closed door” and Petilla said there were some technical matters that were discussed that were not open to media.

On the other hand, Sec. Petilla’s message to the VSU graduates was for them “to be good leaders” in their chosen careers.

“We need good leaders,” Petilla said, adding they were among the lucky few who are now armed with a degree.

Petilla’s said that a study he commissioned while still governor yielded that only 19% of high school graduates in the country are able to enter college. “Of the 19% that went to college, only one-third of them graduated due to various reasons, hence college graduates, especially from established educational institutions like VSU, can be leaders in their own fields,” Petilla said.

“The biggest workforce in the country consists of high school graduates but the leaders are born in universities such as Visayas State University,” Petilla said.

He also cited the faculty and staff of VSU for sticking to teaching, unlike other state colleges and universities that sometimes prioritized generating income for the university and sacrificing instruction.

“Education is a continuing process,” Petilla stressed, as he led the graduates to appreciate the efforts of their teachers and their parents.

He added that to be good leaders, the graduates must stick to the core values and principles taught by VSU, citing the faculty’s appetite for learning they had imparted to their students, which means the graduates should continue to study, to innovate in the real world where they may find themselves long after they leave the VSU campus.

“For you to have a purpose, stick to your values, your principles,” he said in his 30-minute speech.

Baybay City Mayor Carmen Cari gave the opening remarks, and Dr. Jose Bacusmo, VSU President, introduced the Energy Secretary to the VSU graduates. With reports from Marcelino Pedalino and Consuelo Alarcon of PIA

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.

Source: EVMail News http://ift.tt/WbKhRf