LOS ANGELES, Feb. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Loyola Marymount University on Wednesday, Feb. 17, in an invitation-only ceremony in the Life Sciences Building Auditorium.
Aquino, the 15th president of the Republic of the Philippines, was honored in recognition of his dedication to his country, his integrity and his embodiment of a Jesuit education. He is a graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, which was founded in 1859 by the Society of Jesus.
"President Aquino represents precisely what we as educators mean about helping our students become women and men for and with others," said LMU President Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D. "His deep commitment to the Philippine people is a model from which each of us can learn."
Aquino took the opportunity to speak about his own school days, remembering how the ethos of service to others was ingrained in his educational experiences.
"The be-all and end-all of our existence here is, how does it lead to the bettering of the condition of others?" he said. "We were taught not just that this was the right thing to do, but also that it is a moral imperative."
Elected in 2010 to a six-year term, Aquino, a fourth-generation politician, is the only son of Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. and President Corazon Aquino.
He was welcomed to Los Angeles by Mayor Eric Garcetti, who noted the role of Filipinos among the city's first settlers in 1789, and recalled that his grandfather's Army service fighting in the Philippines during World War II is what earned him the right to become a U.S. citizen afterwards.
"Had it not been for that experience in the Philippines, I would not be here today," Garcetti said. "This legacy of Filipinos, who have been here from the very beginning, who have enriched the city's vibrant culture and have strengthened the politics and economy that we have here, has helped position Los Angeles as the creative crossroads of the world."
The event was co-sponsored by the School of Education's Teach for the Philippines Program and the World Policy Institute at LMU, an interdisciplinary research and academic center created as a partnership between the New York-based WPI and LMU.
Photos of the event are available upon request.
About Loyola Marymount University
Located between the Pacific Ocean and downtown Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive university offering 60 major and 55 minor undergraduate degrees and programs. The Graduate Division offers 39 master's degree programs, one education doctorate, one juris doctorate, one doctorate of juridical science and 10 credential/authorization programs. Founded in 1911, LMU is ranked third in "Best Regional Universities/West" by U.S. News & World Report. LMU is the largest Jesuit Catholic university for undergraduates in the Southwest, with more than 6,000 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate and law students. For more LMU news and events, please visit www.lmu.edu/news.
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SOURCE Loyola Marymount University
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