An Enduring Legacy

There is much truth in the adage that many great things have small beginnings. When Fernando G. Bautista established a humble institution sometime in 1948, he had but a dream that such institution would one day be a leading educational center north of Manila. Today, that dream of his had become a reality.

Fernando “Tatay” Bautista knew very well that bringing into being an institution is easy, but to develop it and make it grow into a center of academic excellence is an extremely difficult endeavor. Hence, he devoted his whole life to transforming and molding the University of Baguio into what it is today.

He cared so much for UB more than anything else. He labored diligently. He had a hand in every single aspect of its operations. Together with his beloved wife, Rosa, he kept on coming up with innovative ways with which to develop and improve the school. He promoted harmonious working relationships between faculty employees and administration. He had a fatherly way of approaching management. He was strict but caring. He could sense if there was anything wrong in the relationships between and among faculty members or employees.

Tatay was a sports enthusiast. His sports program has been constantly one of the many strengths of UB. Through it, UB became known throughout the world as an institutional trainer of world class athletic champions.

When the killer earthquake of 1990 devastated UB, Tatay was there to provide much needed assistance and hope. With the combined efforts of Tatay and his children, UB rose from the ruins and now stands more firm than ever.

Even in his then advanced age, Tatay’s concern for UB was never exhausted. He would walk around the campus and inspect buildings; monitor cleanliness, check out busted lights and whatever it was that needed repair.

The death of Tatay poses a challenge to the University of Baguio. It is now the mandate and responsibility of his children and heirs and all of us who are part of the University of Baguio to take the cudgels—to carry on the task of developing the University of Baguio into the institution which Tatay envisioned it to be.

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