Father Daniel Franklin E. Pilario, C.M., president of Adamson University, called on the academic community to renew their Vincentian mission with renewed commitment and hope.
Speaking at the university’s Annual General Assembly 2025, Fr. Pilario laid down a framework anchored on four words: Salamat (Thanksgiving), Sana (Hopes), Sahod (Wages), and Salaysay (Story).
“I have heard stories of many of you who are treating your students with kindness,” he said. He cited simple gestures — such as sharing meals with hungry students or patiently mentoring slow learners — as signs of the Vincentian spirit.
He stressed that the mission is not only to teach competence and excellence but also “character and charity.”
Fr. Pilario also outlined his “hopes” for the future of Adamson University as it moves toward its centenary in 2032: transformation, inclusion, power, dialogue, and creativity.
“Transformative education means that our lives can only have meaning when we learn to live it for others,” he said, urging the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals and Catholic Social Teaching into education and research.
He highlighted inclusion and respect for human dignity, saying, “No one shall be excluded because of religion, gender, age, social status or race.”
On the use of authority, he warned that “life is already harsh and cruel for many.” He urged to make the university “a space of care”.
“There is no space for ‘terror professors,’ ‘terror heads,’ ‘terror staff’ or ‘terror administrators’ in Adamson,” he said.
Fr. Pilario emphasized dialogue as a way of life, encouraging monthly department meetings and more opportunities for professors to listen to students.
On creativity and agility, he called on faculty and staff to adapt to new technologies and embrace leadership rotation.
Quoting St. Vincent de Paul, he said, “Love is inventive unto infinity,” and added, “Mentorship is the greatest kind of leadership.”
In what he described as the “happiest S,” he announced the successful negotiation of the 2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement, which will provide salary increases, higher allowances, new benefits, and a ₱10,000 signing gratuity for regular employees.
“This is not just a simple amount. This is a small way of saying: Thank you. You are one of the big reasons why Adamson University is strong and very much alive,” he said.
The Vincentian priest ended with a parable of two brothers secretly giving rice to each other until they discovered their mutual generosity.
“My prayer: May that place be Adamson. May God see our care for one another. And there He will build His home,” Fr. Pilario said.
