Why not?
Just recently, a graduate of a not-so-well-known public school in Manila shocked the whole Filipino architecture community by topping the Architect Licensure Exam on his first take.
Ar. John Vincent Lopez graduated from the Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology or EARIST. That’s a school whose name will almost always fetch the question, “Saan ’yon?” (Where’s that?) or “Ano ’yun?” (What’s that?)
I remember the first time I applied for an on-the-job (OJT) slot in a construction company. I was waiting side-by-side with a student from a well-known private school while another applicant, who also came from a popular school, was being interviewed. The applicant beside me asked what school I was attending, and I answered: “Sa EARIST” (in EARIST). Then, she asked, “Ano ’yun?,” to which I immediately replied: “Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology. She continued to probe: “Saan ’yun?” and I said, “Sa Nagtahan” (on Nagtahan Street). She pressed on: “Saan ’yun?” so, again, I had to explain: “Malapit sa Malacanang” (near the Presidential Palace). And you guessed it right, she, once more asked: “Saan doon?” (Where in that place?). Almost losing my patience, I replied, “Tapat ng de Ocampo” (just across de Ocampo Medical School). Finally, as if having solved a puzzle, she said: “Ah sa de Ocampo” (Oh, at the de Ocampo School).
With a feeling of relief, but with an intent to get back, I asked her: “Eh ikaw, saan ka nag-aaral?” (How about you, what school are you attending?). She proudly answered; “sa ****!” (in ****!). With a loud and proud voice, she mentioned the name of her very popular school, that no person of an average I.Q. would not know. Jokingly, but with a straight face, I asked her, “Ano ’yun?” followed by, “Saan yun?”, and “Saan doon?” And try as she willed to explain, she would only hear another “Saan yun?” and “Ano yun?” from me. LOL
But seriously, graduating from a school that less than half of the population has heard about, and half of the half did not even know that it ever existed, is a reality and dilemma that we had to face then and now. Many “Arki-ni-Amang,” as we fondly call architecture students, graduates, and architects from EARIST, would ask ourselves why people often look at the name of the school, more than its products. And why should we go to that tedious process of proving ourselves worthy before we get hired, while those who came from popular schools can take the shortcut of being hired, sometimes even without an interview? If the name of the school is enough to determine whether or not a person is good in their chosen profession, what then is the need for having a board examination?
Cent, as close friends calls him, grew up in Pampanga but had to move to Manila for a decent college education. He tried applying to well-known universities but to no avail. None of his hardest attempts allowed him entry to the gates of any of the prestigious schools in Metro Manila. And he found himself landing on the grounds of EARIST, a small and unpopular school near the Pasig River. (At least the river’s name is popular.)
Cent’s passion for learning and becoming an architect, propelled by the unusual training he got from his teachers in college, plus the unique system that the College of Architecture and Fine Arts of EARIST implements, led him to bagging the number one spot in the June, 2019 Board Exams. So now, because of Cent’s success, EARIST finally “got a name.” No one knows for how long. But surely, a great chance of keeping the momentum. Why not?
“The true value of our dreams is in our journey: How we’ve made it; what we’ve learned from it; and what we will do with it.” – Ar. John Vincent Lopez
EARIST and EARISTians have dreamt of becoming well-known, of being popular, of being accepted by people as an excellent Institution for learning. Again, I ask, “Why not?”
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MAUNDY FLORENDO is a registered and licensed architect, educator, and advocate of policy reform for architecture in Southeast Asia. He is the principal architectural consultant of Mega Pacific Victory Development Corp., national vice-president for professional practice of the Philippine Institute of Architects, chief campus architect of the EARIST Institutional Infrastructure Planning and Development Office, life member of the United Nations Association of the Philippines, past national committee chair of the United Architects of the Philippines, past director of the Technical Assistance Movement for People and Environment, Inc., former dean and trustee of EARIST, and multiple-time recipient of presidential award and trophy of merit from the PIA and the UAP. His column aptly named “Arki-Think” will grace the online page of THEPHILBIZNEWS on Fridays. Comments and suggestions about his column may be sent via email to maundy72@yahoo.com or visit https://maundyflorendo.weebly.com/.
