By AC Putong
Service for their alma mater brought five outstanding Sillimanians back to the campus to deliver talks on various fields during the Balik-Talent Lecture Series last August.
The Outstanding Sillimanian Awardees (OSA) gave various industry tips on Philippine history, technology in medicine, medical education, international economics, and journalism.
In the field of cultural history, 2025 OSA Dr. Rolando Borrinaga lectured the history-political students last Aug. 26 at the Silliman University (SU) Library.
Fourth-year political science student Franz Clement Tero shared how he was intrigued when Borrinaga theorized that the first mass in the Philippines was held on Easter Sunday in a different barangay in Limasawa.
“His claim is supported by substantial evidence, which makes it even more compelling,” Tero said.
On the same day, Borrinaga also talked to agriculture students at the SU Multi-Purpose Room.
Themed “A journey from Agriculture and Rural Development to Cultural History,” he discussed the values of giving back, sharing one’s expertise, and honoring the roots that shaped the community.
Dr. Janamitra Devan, 2025 OSA in international development economics, talked before the students of the College of Business Administration last Aug. 26.
In his lecture titled “Fostering a Culture of Innovation: Breaking Boundaries, Welcoming Changes,” Devan talked about international development, poverty alleviation, financial inclusion, and economic transformation.
As a former vice-president of the World Bank Group, Devan launched report tools such as “Ease of Doing Business” and “Women, Business, and the Law.”
Meanwhile, SU College of Mass Communication alumna Carla Camilla Gomez marked the last of the lectures through a Kapehan sa Masscom last Aug. 28.
Lauded as 2025 OSA for her contributions in community journalism, Gomez urged campus journalists to chase stories beyond the front pages of newspapers.
“We remember to write about heartless, cold-blooded schools and clinics. We remember to write about sick children. They need to have a safe room,” she said.
The SU alumna works as a senior correspondent at the Philippine Daily Inquirer and as an editor-in-chief at the online newspaper Digicast Negros based in Bacolod City.
Talks on the medical industry
Moreover, 2022 OSA Dr. Romeo Moriles graced the SU Audio-Visual Theater last Aug. 25 to tackle various advancements in the healthcare industry, such as gene therapy and telemedicine.
According to the Institute of Clinical Laboratory Sciences director Dr. Teodora Cubelo, Moriles explained how far technology in medicine has brought the “diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases to amazing heights.”
She furthered how these advances have made medicine more “routine and devoid of personalized care and empathy.”
“He implored that we go back to our original calling, which is to touch human lives, heal the ailment, but most of all minister to the people,” Cubelo stated.
Dr. Joel Gamo, 2025 OSA in the field of medical education, also lectured the junior high school students last Aug. 26 at the SU Library.
Gamo discussed the habits of a successful person and how they related to his life experiences in the healthcare industry.
SU junior high school student Jhian Vinnce Bolotaulo shared that Gamo encouraged them to be resilient through problems, and “finding a way out even if it’s hard.”
“For me, it was about not giving up so quickly; it didn’t deter him […] he didn’t choose to give up; he chose to be resilient and continue his passion as a healthcare professional,” he said.
Aside from OSAs, the Balik-Talent Lecture series also invites other SU alumni to share their knowledge and experiences with students and faculty during the annual Founders’ celebrations.
