UP Carillon 2022

Special Tribute
Prof. Gerardo Agulto Jr.,
a pillar in the Master of
Management, dies at 79
By Danielle Uy
Special Tribute
As sociologist Fe Rodriguez-Arciñas
passes on, her legacy
transcends generations
By Danielle Uy
Professor Gerardo Agulto Jr. took on the hardest
challenges to preserve what he believed in. Before
passing away on March 10, 2022 at age 79, he
held several significant roles, including directing
the UP Master of Business Administration from
1992 to 2001; the Master of Science in Finance
from 1997 to 2001; and the UP Foundation, Inc.
(UPFI) from 2001 to 2021.
Agulto was raised in San Jose, Nueva Ecija. His
mother, Socorro Bautista-Agulto, graduated from
UP in 1938 with a degree in BS Pharmacy. Agulto
followed the same route, but not quite; in 1963,
he earned his bachelor’s degree, and in 1974, his
master’s degree, both in Business Administration
from the same university.
He later spent his early years of adulthood in
the corporate world, serving as a certified public
accountant, a real estate broker, and a member
of governing boards. In 1986, he found his way
back to the UP Diliman (UPD) Cesar E.A. Virata
School of Business (VSB) as a Project Assistant.
Agulto also became an instructor in 1988, working
his way up to Associate Professor 7, eventually
retiring from teaching at the VSB in 2012. But as
with people with unquenchable spirits, Agulto was
never limited by the four corners of his classrooms.
During these years, he also served as the VSB
Prof. Gerardo Agulto, Jr and family
Photo courtesy of Aleth Agulto
14 UP Carillon
Photo courtesy of Aleth Agulto
officer-in-charge (1990–1992) and the director of
the UP MBA Alumni Society (1997–1998).
In his years in academia, Agulto handled both
graduate and undergraduate classes, teaching
courses related to financial management and
management accounting and control. This
experience certainly prepared him for the next
remarkable chapter of his life.
In 2013, Agulto was asked to teach at the UPD
Extension Program in Pampanga and Olongapo
(UPDEPPO). At the time, the university unit was
in danger of being phased out; it was yet to
have its first academic building completed the
following year. The invitation required a leap of
faith, and Agulto gladly rose to the challenge.
Among other memorable things, Agulto will
always be recognized as a pillar of the UPDEPPO.
For all his fiery brilliance and productive wisdom,
Agulto earned the title “Father of the Master
of Management (MM) Program,” says former
UPDEPPO Director Dr. Julieta C. Mallari. His
contributions helped sustain the unit during an
unpredictable period.
“He recruited the best and the brightest of his
former students from Diliman to participate in
establishing and enriching the MM program.
Charged with grace and conviction, he readily
persuaded them and made it possible that the
MM faculty line-up would consist of the acutest
minds,” Mallari said.
What does it take to be a sociologist? More
curiously, what does it take to pioneer a sociology
department in the country’s premier national
university?
If one met Professor Fe Rodriguez-Arciñas,
they would know. In 1952, Arcinas undertook
the trailblazing role as an instructor, eventually
as professor, at the UP Diliman Department of
Sociology and Social Welfare. Throughout the
years, she contributed meaningful work to the
aborning field of sociology—including studies
on the socio-economic structures of Filipino
communities and the impact of migration.
One of her former students, UP Vice President for
Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista, recalls:
“Ma’am Arciñas, like those of her generation, did
take the building of institutions and the tasks
institutions assigned to them seriously. The
exigency of the service took precedence.”
In 1983, Arciñas moved up as the Chairperson
of the Department of Sociology and served the
role until 1986. Here, she persisted in showing
commitment to every responsibility that fell on
her lap.
Professor Fe Rodriguez-Arcinas with her late husband, Attorney
Benedicto Arcinas. Photo courtesy of Miel Arcinas
College Photo of Fe Rodriguez Arciñas
Photo courtesy of Marife Magno from
Arciñas Memorial FB Page.
“She paid attention to big and small issues and
details with the same intensity and passion,”
Bautista said. “I remember when our department
had an issue with the UP Diliman Chancellor, a
problem big enough for him to summon us to
a meeting. Ma’am Arciñas lost sleep before
and after this meeting to make sure that she
represented and pushed the department’s
autonomy in the selection of its faculty. This
was when I witnessed her grit and exceptional
perseverance.”
In 1988, Arciñas headed the UP Center for
Integrative and Development Studies (CIDS);
from 1989 to 1993, the UP Office of Alumni
Relations (OAR). As she worked heartily to fulfill
her duties across offices, Arciñas also often
opened doors to her younger peers, opening
her home till the midnight hours for a safe space
for conversations, legal consultations, and moral
support.
“While she was committed to the institution
and would do whatever was needed to move
the institution forward, the family was central
to the self-effacing woman who embraced all
assignments given to her with initial trepidation
but with all her heart and energy—as department
chair, as Director of the UP Center for Integrative
and Development Studies, as Director of the UP
Office of Alumni Relations,” Bautista said.
Fe Rodriguez-Arciñas passed away on
February 3, 2022.
University Alumni Magazine 15