(From left) Dr. Francisco A. Magno, President, Philippine Political Science Association; Dr. Charmaine Misalucha-Willoughby, Associate Professor, DLSU; Dr. Wilfrido V. Villacorta; Dr. Aileen S.P. Baviera, President and CEO, Asia-Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation, Inc.; and Dr. Julio C. Teehankee, Dean of Liberal Arts, De La Salle University. Dr. Misalucha-Willoughby, one of the the top students of Dr. Villacorta, and his admired younger colleague, Dr. Baviera, were the discussants for his lecture. Photo courtesy of Dr. Francisco Magno
In recognition of his contributions to Philippine Political Science and his accomplishments in public service and international relations, APPFI Board Member, Dr. Wilfrido Villacorta, was conferred the Distinguished Leadership Award by the Philippine Political Science Association (PPSA) last March 1, 2017.
His award was, in part, a tribute to his thirty years of innovative, interdisciplinary and experiential approach to teaching, employing simulation, dramatization, decision-making games, field trips and class debates, in addition to traditional lectures, research papers and examinations. He has internationally and locally published books, articles in scholarly journals and chapters in edited books. He was Dean (1983-1986) and Senior Vice-President (1987-1993) at De La Salle University, and was Visiting Professor in the US, most ASEAN countries, Japan, China, South Korea, Canada and Australia. From 1994 until 2003, he was President of the Yuchengco Center, a research center based at DLSU and devoted to studies on Northeast and Southeast Asia.
Dr. Villacorta’s first stint in public service was his appointment by then President Corazon Aquino as delegate to the 1986 Constitutional Commission. From 1990-1992, he was Foreign Relations Consultant to Senate President Jovito Salonga. His Holiness Pope John Paul II appointed him in 1999 as an Academician of Papal think tank on social issues, the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. In April 2003, he was recommended by the Philippine Government for the position of ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General. He was unanimously elected by the ten member-states to be the first Filipino Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN. At the end of his term in 2006, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo awarded him the Presidential Medal of Merit. In 2010, Dr. Villacorta was appointed by former President Benigno Aquino III as the second Philippine Ambassador and Permanent Representative to ASEAN. He is now Professor Emeritus of International Relations and University Fellow of De La Salle University.
Related Article: Summary of Dr. Wilfrido Villacorta's acceptance speech "Reflections on my Journey in Political Science and Political Practice"