Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Justice Secretary Jose Crispin Remulla will lead the roster of awardees at this year’s University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) Alumni Awards, set for August.
Bersamin, a 1968 Political Science graduate, will be the sole recipient of the 2025 UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus Award. “He is being honored for his exemplary contributions to good governance and dedicated public service… His enduring commitment to the rule of law and the public good continues to serve as a beacon of integrity and statesmanship for the nation,” the UPAA said. Bersamin previously served as the 25th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court before assuming his current role as Executive Secretary, a post often called the “Little President.”
Meanwhile, Remulla, who graduated cum laude in Political Science in 1983 and earned his Law degree in 1988, will be recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award. He will be honored alongside Supreme Court Associate Justice Jhosep Lopez, geologist Benjamin Austria, Ropali Group of Companies’ Roberto Alingog, and cardiologist Dr. Rody Sy.
Other notable honorees include Solicitor General Darlene Berberabe, who will receive the UPAA Presidential Award with former Baguio City Rep. Mark Go, Ambassador Rosario Gonzalez-Manalo, and lawyer Rodrigo B. Libunao.
In total, the 2025 awards will honor 47 individuals, three alumni chapters, four Presidential Award recipients, and 10 Multigenerational Alumni Family Awardees.
“Beyond professional excellence, we looked for the strength of their leadership, the depth of their service, and the magnitude of their impact,” UPAA President and Alumni Regent Robert Lester Aranton said. “These awardees reflect the very best of what it means to be an Iskolar ng Bayan.”
The awarding ceremony will take place on August 16, 2025, at the Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman.
