45 Years: SDRC Celebrates Milestone Anniversary with Book Launches and New Mini Grants Commemorating Past Directors
The culminating program of the Social Development Research Center’s multi-event anniversary celebration was held on the evening of March 22 at the Henry Sy, Sr. Hall Roof Deck, with generations of researchers meeting and reuniting with the family members of two of its beloved Directors.
Providing context for the occasion was SDRC Director Dr. Homer Yabut, who spoke on the 45th anniversary theme of “Diversifying, Capacitating, and Partnering Toward Sustainable Research Futures.” He provided examples of the range of projects the Center has been involved in since its beginnings in 1979—projects which he noted “led to vital changes in Philippine society”; cited the more recent development of sharing research expertise through training sessions conducted in state colleges and universities throughout the country; and spoke on the networking done with local and international organizations to carry out studies that make a difference. While celebrating past accomplishments, he also expressed his hope that the Center would continue to carry on the “legacy of the Founder’s work in serving the least, the last, and the lost.”
Br. President Bernard Oca congratulated the Director and staff on its Sapphire Anniversary for “contributing to the noble task of attaining the University’s vision of ‘humane, inclusive, just, and sustainable communities’.” He recalled that it was in 1979 when the late Br. President Andrew Gonzalez envisioned DLSU to become a research university, and that SDRC through its research in social development marked the beginning of achieving that vision, being at the forefront of conducting studies that created a social impact.
The launching of two pandemic era publications – Bordered Lives No More: The Humanities and the Post-COVID-19 Recovery, a collection of nine essays that “serve as a prism that refracts the phenomenon of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country,” edited by Dr. Dinah Roma; and Narratives and Knowledge in the Midst of the COVID-19 Lockdown, a series of “informative and, at times, poignant accounts of the COVID-19 lockdown-related conditions, responses, challenges, assessments, and lessons” by contributors from the social sciences, edited by Dr. Romeo Lee – opened the main program. In his message, DLSU Publishing House Executive Publisher Dr. David Jonathan Bayot extended his thanks to former Center Directors Dr. Maria Caridad Tarroja and Dr. Melvin Jabar for the opportunity to make the two volumes a reality, and for providing him time to reflect on the meaning in each book contributor’s work.
The highlight of the evening was the launching of the new SDRC Mini Research Grants: The Exaltacion E. Lamberte Fund for Poverty Research, and the Jesusa M. Marco Fund for Reproductive Health and Behavioral Modification Research. The launching was preceded by tribute videos in which DLSU President Emeritus Dr. Carmelita Quebengco, research fellow Ma. Angeles Lapeña, and Dr. Jabar shared their experiences with Dr. Lamberte, describing her as someone who “got the job done” no matter how difficult, and who served not only as a mentor but as a mother figure and “life advisor”; and Scientist in Residence Dr. Pilar Ramos-Jimenez, former research fellow Stella Go, and retired researcher Ma. Asuncion Santos spoke of Dr. Marco as “the kindest, most gentle person” who lived up to her name “Asa,” which means “hope,” was someone who was both teacher and friend, and who always “came to the rescue.” Family members were on hand to receive the posthumous awards presented by Dr. Yabut.
An unannounced part of the program was the presentation of a service recognition award to new retiree Connie Maraan for her “outstanding work in writing and editing” as the Center’s former Coordinator for Research Dissemination and Publications. She was feted by the Director and staff through a lighthearted video in which they sent her their warmest wishes.
The evening concluded with words from Dr. Ramos-Jimenez, who shared that she was “feeling sentimental” after the tributes honoring her long-time colleagues Dr. Lamberte and Dr. Marco, and for seeing the many faces of those with whom she had collaborated on past studies throughout the years. She reminded the group that SDRC in its beginnings as the Integrated Research Center was a pioneer in studies on basic urban services and on immigration, and spoke of the dangers of doing fieldwork in conflict areas where the government and revolutionary forces were at odds. In concluding her remarks she gave an impromptu introduction to retired research fellow Dr. Antonio Contreras, who brought the occasion to a close with a poem he wrote in Filipino—“Ang Matris” (The Uterus)—honoring women, with March being International Women’s Month, and coincidentally, with the majority of researches ever conducted at SDRC having been completed by women.
