Volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous, this is how Dr. Winston Conrad Padojinog aptly describes the world that we live in and urged his audience to tolerate and thrive in such a world.
Padojinog was addressing the graduating Class of 2019 as guest speaker of the 2019 PAPURI of UP Visayas held on June 26, 2019, Miagao campus. PAPURI is a university recognition program for graduating honorific scholars and special achievement awardees that is held annually.
To tolerate and thrive in such a world, first of all, Padojinog said we need to exercise creativity and strategic thinking and likewise know how to collaborate and anticipate.
Second, he said we need to “anchor your life in something solid to withstand the waves and the buffets of life, and continue moving forward.
“Many youth today insist on freedom without responsibility and devoid of proper formation and information. The result is freedom at all cost, without limits or due regard to one’s dignity and that of others. Unbridled freedom destroys, enslaves people, makes people lonely and lives a life without meaning,” he elaborated.
Third, he said that, “genuine leaders serve, …use their authority to point out the destination, mission, and how to achieve it, …and roll themselves out like a red carpet for their followers to walk on so as to reach their destination.”
Padojinog is the current president of the University of Asia and the Pacific. He graduated in UP High School in Iloilo in 1984 and graduated with a degree in BS Economics in 1989 from UP Visayas. His Masters of Science in Industrial Economics were earned at the Center for Research and Communication and Doctor of Business Administration, at the De La Salle University.
