DPWH chief Dizon to address 1,972 ISUFST undergraduates

There is a different kind of excitement building inside Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology (ISUFST) as graduation season draws near.

This year’s commencement exercises, set June 19 at the Tamasak Arena in Barotac Nuevo, will feature Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vivencio “Vince” B. Dizon as commencement speaker, a detail confirmed by ISUFST President Nordy D. Siason Jr.

For many graduating students, the announcement added another layer of meaning to a milestone already shaped by years of sacrifice, sleepless nights, financial struggles, fieldwork, research, and quiet perseverance.

More than 1,972 baccalaureate degree students from ISUFST’s five campuses are expected to march this year for Academic Year 2025–2026, pending final approval by the Board of Regents.

The figures were earlier endorsed by the university’s Academic Council during its hybrid meeting held Monday, May 25, at the Dumangas Conference Room in Dumangas, Iloilo, attended by faculty members, administrators, and university officials from across campuses.

Of the projected overall graduates of ISUFST, 1,972 are from undergraduate programs while 172 are graduate school completers, with their own commencement exercise set in a still-to-be-announced schedule and venue.

ISUFST’s graduate school class this year includes 53 doctoral graduates from 10 PhD programs and 119 master’s degree graduates from 15 programs.

Across the university’s campuses, 576 students from seven undergraduate programs are expected to graduate from the Main Campus–Poblacion Site, 304 from 11 programs at the Main Campus–Tiwi Site, 439 from nine programs at Dingle Campus, 272 from nine programs at San Enrique Campus, and 381 from six programs at Dumangas Campus.

According to Siason, Dizon’s participation in the commencement exercises is expected to inspire many graduates who are about to enter a professional world still adjusting to economic shifts, infrastructure challenges, sustainability concerns, and the long shadow of the pandemic.

Before assuming leadership of the DPWH, Dizon served in several important government positions, including transportation secretary, presidential adviser for COVID-19 response, and president and chief executive officer of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).

He became widely associated with large-scale infrastructure initiatives such as New Clark City and the expansion of Clark International Airport under the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program.

He also played a visible role during the COVID-19 pandemic as the country’s testing czar and deputy chief implementer of the national response program, helping oversee testing expansion, quarantine coordination, and logistics operations at a time when uncertainty gripped much of the country.

While Dizon’s public career has not been without criticism and controversy, university officials noted that his experience in governance, infrastructure, crisis management, and public administration offers practical insights for graduates preparing to enter professional life.

For ISUFST, the commencement exercises also mark another important chapter in the university’s continuing growth.

Established in 1957, ISUFST remains the country’s first and only fisheries university and has steadily expanded its programs beyond fisheries into education, information technology, agriculture, industrial technology, management, and allied disciplines.

In recent years, the university has earned regional, national, and international recognition for sustainability, extension work, fisheries education, peace education, and community engagement, including distinctions in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings and the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings.

As preparations continue for the June rites, many students say graduation now feels more real than ever — not simply because of medals, diplomas, or ceremonies, but because it represents the end of one difficult journey and the uncertain but hopeful beginning of another.  (Herman Lagon | PAMMCO)