Meet 3 future doctors

By ANTONIO M. AJERO
“THERE is no saturation point in education.” This is a famous line attributed to Thomas J. Watson Sr., founder of IBM (International Business Machines Corporation), second biggest company in the world with more than 400,000 employees and which invented computer systems, including the automatic teller machine (ATM).
This may have been the guiding principle that inspired three young leaders of Davao City to pursue post-graduate and doctoral studies.
They are Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte and Councilors Danilo C. Dayanghirang and Al Ryan S. Alejandre, all members of the 15th Council of Davao City (2013-2015). God willing, the three will complete their doctorate in public administration in May this year.
The course is a 15-month special program of the Philippine Councilors League Legislative Academy (PCL-LA) in partnership with Lyceum Northwestern University. VM Pulong and the two councilors are the only Dabawenyos taking up the course, although there are other local lawmakers in Mindanao who are enrolled in the program.
VM Pulong
Unbeknownst to many Dabawenyos, “Pulong,” who’s the eldest son of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte and older brother of former Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio, is a holder of a master’s degree in public administration, majoring in public policy and program administration, a course he acquired from the University of Southeastern Philippines in 2009. He acquired his Bachelor of Science in Commerce, major in banking and finance, from the University of Mindanao. He completed primary and secondary education from the Philippine Women’s College.
The young vice mayor first entered politics as elected chairman of Barangay Catalunan Grande in Talomo District on November 15, 2007. He was then elected chairman of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) of the city which qualified him to become city councilor as ABC sectoral representative. From July 2011 to June 2013, Councilor Duterte was national vice president for Mindanao of the Liga ng mga Barangay.
The vice mayor is a member of the Guardians Brotherhood Inc. (GBI), Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART), Davao Jaycees, and Free and Accepted Masons Davao Lodge No. 149.
3 masteral courses
Councilor Alejandre has not only two but three masteral courses. He has a master’s degree in business administration from the Asian Institute of Technology. He acquired his master’s in education also from AIT and his master’s in development management and governance from the University of Makati. He finished his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in the Ateneo de Davao University.
It is Alejandre’s second term in the City Council, where he is currently the chair of the committee on tourism and beautification. A veteran television show host, Al Ryan is often named as festival director and official spokesman for the city’s top extravaganzas – Kadayawan sa Dabaw, Pasko Fiesta, Araw ng Davao and Summerfest.
Street fighter
Of all three, Danny is the veteran street fighter, having led many campus and street rallies and demonstrations in his student days. This was during the dying days of the Marcos dictatorship when he was president of the student council of the University of Mindanao where he started his career in politics (1983-1985).
At the young age of 21 and fresh graduate of Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the UM, he was appointed by the late President Cory Aquino as Davao City councilor (1986-1988). Danny has been elected city lawmaker for a total of 21 years, not to include his short stint as OIC vice mayor in 1998. During term lulls, he worked in the private sector, as employees relations officer of Marsman Drydale (1998-2001), and as consultant to incumbent city chief executives. He was consultant on special concerns of then-Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
As legislator he has extensive experience in committee work, in health, labor and employment, peace and public safety, transportation and communications, environment and natural resources, ethics and good governance, trade, commerce and industry and lately finance, ways and means and appropriations. He considers his stint as majority leader of the 13th council.
Like the vice mayor, Dayanghirang has been vice president for Mindanao and national treasurer of the PCL and founder of the Guardian Association. He is an adopted member of the Philippine Military Academy Batch ’84 Maharlika Class and a member of the Lions Club.
Like councilor Alejandre, Dayanghirang has a master’s in public administration from the USeP and Lyceum North Western U, another master’s in local development management, Danny completed his course in personal development management from the Asian Institute of Managament (1986-1988) of top of the class.
Advantageous exposure
The three gentlemen agree that getting a doctorate is personally advantageous and beneficial to Dabawenyos, their constituents.
“Undoubtedly, our knowledge and skill in rendering public service will be enhanced,” Dayanghirang said.
He said as students, the doctoral course has strengthened the political leadership skills of the three.
For one thing, the course has given them an opportunity to benchmark with the experiences of their fellow students who come from various local government units and has exposed them to different kinds of styles of leadership and governance.
Dayanghirang particularly values their exposure to the Singapore experience where the political leaders plan development for 40 years, unlike here in the Philippines where we can usually plan for only three years because of our limited three-year term.
He, however, said as students with enough exposure to the realities on the ground, the Dabawenyos had a comparatively easy way of relating to the case studies in the course.