ONE province, Oriental Mindoro, in one day, Aug. 26, 2026, two higher education institutions conducted separate investitures of their leaders — the new Father President of the Divine Word College of Calapan, Fr. Ramilo “Milo” V. Mapaye, a priest of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD); and the reinstallation of Dr. Enya Marie Dinglasan Apostol of the Mindoro State University (MinSU).
This column celebrates their leadership. Their inaugural speeches are both inspiring, unique on their own and committed to making a mark not only for their legacy but also for the community they serve. Fr. Milo talks about the gift, while Dr. Enya talks about the vinculum.
Three words that guide
Fr. Milo offered three words that we need to highlight and that can guide us: Excellence. Faith. Mission. He challenged everyone present to reflect upon the meaning of these words in our lives.
These three words can be expressed simply: excellence — the best; faith — the Lord; and mission — the goal. And these three words, linked to a word each, can be summarized in one word that captures, and that is, gift.
The gift
One may think of excellence, faith and mission collectively as a GIFT. Then why we ought to strive for excellence, faith and mission can be understood.
Excellence is our gift to ourselves. Saying that “it is good enough” is shortchanging one’s self. We ought to give the best to ourselves, and by that, if one truly values the self, everyone ought to strive for excellence — nothing less.
God does not need your excellence. He can be God without your excellence. Excellence is something we first owe to ourselves. What is due to God is faith.
Faith is our gift to God. If there is one gift that God gave us and will not take away from us, it is the gift of freedom, the gift of choice. And if you don’t choose God, then God can’t stop you. But that’s not the best that you can give to God. Following God can only be done in faith. Hence, Faith is your gift to God.
Since you already have something for yourself — excellence — and you already have something for God — faith — combining the best for yourself and the best for God, the fullness of the exercise of what is best for God is what is best for your neighbor — the gift of mission.
God does not allow you to be excellent solely for yourself or solely for God. God allows you to participate in His work of mission. And when you discover your purpose in life, that’s the moment you have discovered your mission.
The Father who demands
Fr. Milo took the moment that captures the heart, inspires the imagination, and invites everyone in the community to believe in what is possible. He made his inaugural speech not merely a celebration of an institutional quality, but a powerful opportunity to connect its past achievements with a compelling vision of its future.
In front of all the stakeholders — government officials; church officials, including the Calapan Archdiocese Bishop Moises Cuevas; and SVD Fr. Provincial Superior of the SVD Philippine Central Province, Fr. Michael G. Layugan, and the DWCC academic and cultural communities, including Mangyan Indigenous leaders — Fr. Milo assumes the responsibility and reiterates that the reason for the existence of this school is to guide and to give the best for yourselves, to accord God the best, and to be the best offering to the nation that we could be.
Rise of the phoenix
Dr. Enya narrated her early teaching career, the pursuit of her graduate studies and the opportunity to lead, build partnerships and contribute to the growth of the institution. She confessed that for a time, she thought she understood success — moving forward, achieving more, reaching higher.
But life taught her otherwise.
There came a season when she lost the position she had worked hard for; at the same time, her family was going through difficult circumstances of its own. She recalls that it was painful, humbling.
But it was also during that period that she discovered “the phoenix” in her. That failure is not always an ending. It is redirection. And that losing a title does not mean losing a purpose. And to learn that before we understand what truly matters, we have to be brought back to the ground.
In her investiture, witnessed by top local government officials and presidents of various state universities, she stood tall to say that she was able to make it and is ready for more.
The early days of the phoenix
She began her presidency on July 11, 2024, and during her first three days in office, she asked questions and listened. She tried to understand what needed attention and what she still needed to learn. To her, leadership does not begin with having all the answers; it begins with having the humility to ask the right questions.
And together, they began to work.
The vinculum
A vinculum is a bond, a connection, or a tie that holds things together. This was the theme of the re-installation of Dr. Enya.
Her speech cited the past two years when MinSU has begun to tell a new story. Together, they have opened doors for students, breathed new life into our facilities and systems, deepened academic and research pursuits, and carried MinSU’s light far beyond campus walls.
She didn’t enlist every triumph but asked her stakeholders to feel the truth behind them. She rallied that MinSU is moving forward, standing taller, and finally is stepping into the full, proud measure of its potential.
Among the initiatives closest to her heart are those that remind them for whom the university exists. The student Freedom Wall for matters that the university could have ignored but instead listened to. Project Hapag — a university pantry providing food assistance to students. Project Arawatan, through which usable items and assistance can reach students who need them. Project Sagip — the direct lifeline to our communities in times of crisis.
A concern becomes a conversation. A conversation becomes an idea. An idea becomes action. And that action tells a student: You are always remembered; we are together.
Dr. Enya recognizes that MinSU’s legacy will not be measured in concrete or policy but will be measured in human lives. The true test will always be: Whose burden did we ease, and whose future did we transform because we were here?
She takes pride that the name of MinSU goes farther beyond Mindoro with recognition through international platforms and that no honor given to MinSU ever belongs to a single office or a single person. She sees the unwavering faith of partners who walk alongside this path.
“You believed in me when I had no reason to believe in myself; poured your life into building mine, catching me every single time I fell, lifting me when my spirit broke, and quietly handing me strength when I had none left to give. You walked beside me through every sacrifice, rejoicing in every win, asking for nothing back — only giving, loving, and believing,” she ends.
Let us celebrate our gifts and our vinculum.