am dedicating
this column to the late Colonel Roman T. Yap who passed away on September 23,
2008. Mr. Yap, a resident of Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila, was a
successful businessman and held several positions in the business sector. But he
is fondly remembered by the Silliman University community as a philanthropist,
as chairman and later emeritus chairman of the Silliman Board of Trustees of
Silliman University, and as chairman of the Silliman Endowment Foundation, Inc.
He is being honored as a Patron of Environment for his strong
support of the environmental cause at Silliman University, a leading university
in environmental/ biodiversity research and environmental management in the
Philippines. As patron he serves as an example for people to emulate. Many
Silliman alumni are already actively supporting the university conservation
program.
St. Francis of Assisi is considered the Patron Saint of
Ecology. It is said that St. Francis talked with the birds and the mammals. He
cared for these lowly creatures at the time when wildlife were not as disturbed
by human activities as they are now. We can just imagine that this task was much
easier done then than now. We can only admire the passion and the commitment of
those who champion environmental conservation today because of the heavy human
population pressure on the environment and resources and the changing human
behavior that promotes destruction of biodiversity. That is why people should
appreciate those who labor in conservation at different levels, whether doing
the work in the field and laboratory or providing the policy and financial
support for those working at the frontlines.
As for Mr. Yap, he used his influence in convincing the
Angelo King Foundation Inc. in 1999 to provide an endowment fund for the
Silliman University-Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management
(SUAKCREM). His task was not easy because he had to convince the fund donor that
doing conservation is a noble task worth the money spent on it. But Mr. Yap did
not have any hesitation in endorsing and working for the creation of SUAKCREM as
a semi-autonomous office of Silliman University and to take the first steps to
ensure its financial viability in the future.
Because of the Angelo King Foundation grant, the Center has
been able to "leverage" funding for its research and development program on
marine and terrestrial biodiversity since its founding in 1999. The results of
this program include the establishment of marine reserves in the Bohol Sea in
the central Philippines, the protection of the last remaining rainforest in
southwestern Negros, the improvement of livelihood opportunities of coastal and
upland communities in the Visayas, the collaboration of Filipino and foreign
scientists and graduate students in research and development, and the generation
of new knowledge through publication of papers and books on marine and
terrestrial biodiversity.
It is fitting and proper to honor Colonel Roman T. Yap, co-founder of
SUAKCREM with the title of "Patron of Environment."
