University of Iloilo has new president

MANILA, Philippines - The Phinma Group has installed educator Dr. Meliton Salazar Jr., to the presidency of their newly-acquired University of Iloilo (UI) as they forge ahead with moves to revitalize the university to be one of the best schools in the Visayas region.

Salazar became the fourth president of UI last Friday after formal investiture ceremonies were held at the Saint Anne Church and a reception subsequently held at the Iloilo Grand Hotel, with top business and community leaders in Iloilo City, as well as officials of the Phinma Group, present.

Salazar, before being recruited into Phinma to head its education business unit, was president and chief executive officer of the STI Education Services Group, and held various academic positions including an associate professorship at the Asian Institute of Management, as executive director of the Washington Sycip Policy Forum, as consultant with the Institute of Environmental Studies (Netherlands and United Nations), and research assistant to chairs of various academic studies and programs.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Engineering from the Ateneo de Manila University, a Masters degree in International Political Economy and Development from the Fordham University in the Bronx, New York, and a Ph.D. in International Relations majoring in International Development Management from the School of International Service, The American University in Washington, D.C.

Ramon del Rosario Jr., Phinma Group chairman of the board, expressed enthusiasm that with their takeover of UI, the Phinma group will bring its professional management into another educational institution with the goal of building it into a school providing affordable quality education.

Since their acquisition of the school from the family of the late former Vice President Fernando Lopez, Del Rosario said that Phinma has already started a major facilities improvement program costing an initial P30 million that cover the renovation of school buildings, major basic infrastructure repairs, and the acquisition of new equipment for an upgraded IT system and school laboratories.