Capitol honors "Inday Pining"

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu provincial government, through the Provincial Women’s Commission (PWC), honored the late Doña Josefina Rivera Gullas as the first university president who advocated the “study now, pay later” system.

Gullas, more popularly known as “Inday Pining,” was included in a photo exhibit of the province’s outstanding women called the Cebuana Trailblazers or “Sugbuanong Tag-una.”

Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, co-chairman of PWC, said several criteria were followed in the selection.

The PWC honors Cebuana women who have made unforgettable mark in the fields of education; performing arts; literary arts; history, culture and heritage; grassroots Christianity; sports; entrepreneurship; sustainable development; economic empowerment; foreign service and diplomacy; and tourism; among others.

The PWC describes Gullas as a “consummate mother for all ages within and beyond the school.”

As president of the University of the Visayas (UV), Gullas implemented the “study now, pay later” plan – even before the concept was developed – and other scholarship grants to poor but deserving students.

The photo exhibit seeks to renew the passion that outstanding Cebuanas had shown.

“The exhibit hopes to regain the women’s rightful place in Cebu’s heritage to inspire present and future Cebuanas,” the PWC said.

Included in the photo exhibit are Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, Assistant Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Virginia Palanca-Santiago, Crusader Against Violence’s Thelma Chiong and singer Pilita Corrales, among others. — /LPM   - (THE FREEMAN)