In the environment and academic circles, Dr. Angel Chua Alcala was a giant of a man.
I am sure much has been said about the legacies Dr. Alcala left behind in the field of environmental management and academic excellence. For many, Dr. Alcala was larger than life.
Although I am no longer with the SU Medical Center Foundation Inc., having retired as president/administrator a little over a month ago, I was asked to share what I remember of Dr. Alcala since, according to the current SUMC leadership team and Director Juanita Amatong, I had the most dealings with him.
We belong to a generation of Sillimanians whose parents worked as faculty and staff at a time when meticulously-trimmed gumamela hedges delineated certain areas of the campus. Later on, these hedges were transformed into barbwire fences when Martial Law was imposed. Today, they are interlink fences that surround the University.
Because Silliman University was a residential campus, the families of faculty and staff became a close-knit community. Children of these Silliman employees were sometimes referred to as BRatS (Born and Raised at Silliman). Children went to school together, and parents worked together. In my and Ana’s case, Emily Layos was a classmate since kindergarten (or even nursery school) until high school. Angelo was a classmate and schoolmate of my brother Riodil from nursery school until college. And if I remember right, they were competing for highest honors in elementary school. Moses was two years ahead of me, although we stayed in the same dorm at UP Diliman where I would spend some nights studying in his room. Eli or “Popoy” was a classmate of Ana’s younger brother, Gary. Popoy would then stay in the Ceniza house in Karuhatan in Bulacan when he was pursuing his Veterinary Medicine degree. Grace Gloria became a neighbor at Silliman Village where we live across each other. I remember having lunch several times with Estrilda Cruz-am at the Silliman Manila Office with Dolly Felicitas and Linda Flores.
My parents worked closely with Dr. Alcala at Silliman. My mother, Virginia, was the administrative secretary of the College of Arts & Sciences when Dr. Alcala was dean.
Dr. Alcala also worked closely with my father, Jose, who was the University Personnel director, especially when Dr. Alcala took top administrative positions of Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs, and VP for Research, Extension & Development. Both of them were part of the University President’s Cabinet.
As a community, Ana and her family were neighbors with the Alcalas at Silliman Park. In fact, the house assigned to the Cenizas later became the Australian House, which became the house of Dr. Alcala and his wife, Naomi.
As a teacher, I am sure Ma’am Naomi was one of our teachers in Sunday school which used to have its classes at the T-rooms between Hibbard Hall and the Church’s CE building.
I cannot forget that when my father passed in October 1996, Dr. Alcala, who was then the Secretary of the Department of Environment &Natural Resources, came down to Dumaguete to pay his last respects despite his very busy schedule. It is remarkable that the day [Feb. 1st] Dr. Alcala passed away is also the birthdate of my father.
When the University was an open campus, I remember there were those who would go around shooting birds and even bats especially at night with either their tirador (slingshots) or pellet guns or air rifles. But after a while, there were signs all over the campus declaring Silliman University as a “bird sanctuary”. I am pretty sure Dr. Alcala was instrumental in having the University administration make the whole campus as a haven for birds and bats to preserve and protect them.
Another experience which left an indelible mark on my appreciation of the beauty of this earth was having a chance to snorkel at Sumilon Island. As we know, this was the first marine conservation program that Dr. Alcala initiated and spearheaded. It was exhilarating to see a vibrant and colorful underwater garden teeming likewise with colorful fishes.
Without having been directly lectured or instructed by Dr. Alcala, these were instances when his advocacies helped, in an experiential way, develop and form my impressionable mind towards a better appreciation of God’s creation.
During the controversy with the Philippine Ports Authority where more than a hectare of the sea fronting Silliman University was proposed to be reclaimed to expand the Dumaguete port, Moses Alcala and I were closely communicating with each other exchanging notes on how best we can help with the effort to oppose the project. In the aftermath of that controversy, Dr. Alcala suggested that I pursue a Ph.D. in environmental or natural resource economics since it is a field that Silliman should be beefed up with. My career had veered towards healthcare, but through the SU Marine Laboratory (now the Institute of Environmental & Marine Sciences), I got to be involved in projects dealing with coastal resource economics.
I am glad, though, that when I was VP for Development, Planning & Enterprise Management of Silliman University, I was involved as project administrator with the Center of Excellence in Coastal Resources Management project funded by the USAID. This was a project that made possible the construction of the two-storey building that now houses IEMS and the Angelo King Center for Research & Environmental Management.
As a professional, I had the privilege to work for Dr. Alcala when he was President of Silliman University, serving as Human Resources Development manager. I also had the opportunity to work with him when Dr. Alcala was chairperson of the Silliman Church Council, and I as chair of the Personnel Committee, and at another time, chair of the Finance Committee.
The latest professional interaction I had with Dr. Alcala was when he sat as a member of the Board of Directors of the SUMC Foundation Inc.
In my dealings with Dr. Alcala, it was clear that he would respect others for their expertise and specialization. He would never pretend he was better than you in your own field. He was, however, uncompromising when it came to his area of environmental management and research development.
Board discussions became interesting when the topic was on the impact of the state of the environment, like climate change, on health. These discussions, of course, were instigated by Dr. Alcala. He would always remind us that we in the Hospital should meet all environmental standards, and that we should transition from a fossil-based fuel source to renewable energy.
The Hospital is now moving towards a portion of its energy requirements to be provided by solar panels, and its base load from geothermal power.
During the pandemic, Dr. Alcala was persistent on researches that would study the behavior of the virus. About six research proposals were submitted by staff of the Hospital, which were approved for funding by the Board of Directors. I would wish to enjoin the leadership team of the Hospital to have the research studies completed so we can include this as a legacy of Dr. Alcala.
All these were close encounters with a giant. Although Dr. Alcala was a giant of a man, he was also very human. I remember he would refer to me as ‘Do’. “Kumusta ka, Do?” “Okay na, Do!”
I asked an Ilonggo friend what ‘Do’ means. I had thought it was the equivalent of ‘Dodong’ which, to me, sounded good because my aunties, uncles, cousins and even my parents would call me ‘Dodong Berto’.
My Ilonggo friend, however, said that ‘Do’ is the equivalent of Bai in Cebuano, or Pare in Tagalog. If my friend is correct, I am quite flattered as Dr. Alcala considered me — and many others he called ‘Do’ — his equal.
To me, Dr. Alcala has achieved immortality both in heaven and on earth for all that he has done. For living the life of a true Christian when there was always the temptation to boast, yet he remained humble.
God is surely welcoming him with His warm embrace, and ushering Dr. Alcala into His appointed mansion in heaven.
Dr. Alcala’s immortality here on earth is etched in the hearts and minds of those who are furthering his advocacies of marine and terrestrial conservation and sustainable fisheries management. His legacies are far-reaching and inter-generational.
We thank the Lord for having been given the opportunity to walk with a giant in our midst. By Dr. Alcala’s life, we should be reminded to continue to be humble, to be simple, to be human, no matter what great accomplishments we have achieved. And to be reminded as well that no matter how small, we should try to create our own legacies to make this God-given world a better place to live in not only for ourselves, but especially for the next generations to come.
Roberto D. Montebon
Former President
SU Medical Center Foundation Inc.
