This year, specifically on July 4, Foundation University turns 77. Anchored on the theme, “FU@77: Levin 7,” the university celebrates endurance, growth, and the life of its founder, Dr. Vicente Guzman Sinco, whose vision still guides everyone to this day – the faculty, staff, students, administration, and alumni.
A native of Bais, Negros Oriental, Dr. Sinco was a lawyer by profession who had served the University of the Philippines (UP) as its eighth president in 1958 to 1962. He was also acknowledged as the Father of the UP Law Center and became dean of the UP College of Law in 1953 to 1958. He was a signatory to the United Nations Charter and the Japanese Peace Treaty, a member of the Philippine Bar and the Bar of the US Supreme Court, and also of the prestigious American Law Institute. His last act of public service was as delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention.
Seventy-seven years ago, Dr. Sinco planted a dream in Dumaguete soil with little more than faith, resolve, and the conviction that education could transform a community. In 1949, that dream became Foundation College (later becoming a university in 1969) founded on the belief that learning must be rooted in the core values of excellence, commitment, integrity, and service. Dr. Sinco believed that Dumaguete deserved a university built on purpose, and that education was not a privilege, but a foundation. Being the visionary that he was, he likewise saw education as the bridge between Dumaguete’s potential and its future. The institution, after all, was established not for prestige, but for access – to give young people, especially those from modest means, a place to learn, to lead, and to serve – the same purpose that still defines Foundation University at 77 today.
This year, too, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Dr. Sinco’s son, Leandro (Andy) and to perpetuate the memory of the founder, the College of Law and Jurisprudence building was dedicated in honor of Dr. Sinco.
From the very beginning, according to Atty. Jesus Ramon Quevenco Jr., dean of the College of Law and Jurisprudence, the College was among the university’s first degree programs, “a clear testament to Dr. Sinco’s belief that the rule of law is the bedrock of a just and enlightened society.”
In February 1953, government recognition was conferred on the Law program. That same year, the College produced its first six graduates.
“In a remarkable demonstration of academic excellence and discipline, all six took and passed the Philippine Bar,” enthused Atty. Quevenco, a big feat for a fledgling school in an obscure, secluded place that few outside of the Visayas knew then.
The Golden Six, as the pioneering lawyers were referred to, are: Atty. Castulo Caballes (Roll No. 5517), Atty. Angel Campoy (Roll No. 5516), Atty. Ramon Ponce de Leon (Roll No. 6819), Atty. Sergio Rocamora (Roll No. 5724), Atty. Newton Serion (Roll No. 6902), and Atty. Henry Teves (Roll No. 5515).
The building housing the College of Law and Jurisprudence was constructed in 2000. Dedicating the building in Dr. Sinco’s name is both an “honor and a responsibility” as the College renews its commitment to champion the ideals of the founder – excellence in scholarship, fidelity to justice, and service to the Filipino people.
Invited to the memorable occasion was Atty. Marcelino Maxino, himself former president of Foundation University, who was welcomed by current president and grandson of Dr. Sinco, Victor Vicente Sinco, and president emeritus Dr. Edelmira Sinco, wife of former president and son of Dr. Sinco, Leandro.
In his keynote message, Atty. Maxino extolled the vision of Dr. Sinco who, he said, believed that there should be another choice for those who sought higher education learning “free from sectarian affiliation, where conscience would be free and inquiry unconfined by creed.”
Atty. Maxino underscored that “the development of the mind is the lodestar that has guided Foundation University from the beginning.” He said that “everything we celebrate in a university – the buildings, the degrees, the ceremonies – has meaning only if it serves one purpose: to awaken, discipline, and elevate the intellect in the service of something larger than ourselves.”
He likewise reminded the faculty and administrators that their task is “more demanding: to be stewards of minds in formation.” Atty. Maxino added that this “means expecting much, modeling integrity, and fostering an environment where difficult questions can be asked without fear, and answered without evasion.”
In Atty. Maxino’s latest book, Shared Foundations: Core Constitutional Doctrines of the Philippine and US Constitutions, published at Kindle Publishing, Amazon.com, he dedicated it, among others, to his mentor, “Dr. Vicente Guzman Sinco, eminent constitutionalist and scholar, whose brilliance, integrity, and mentorship shaped my understanding of constitutional law.”
Seventy-seven marks a defining milestone in the history of Foundation University. The number seven, long associated with wholeness and strength, doubled, signifies excellence renewed — proof that what is good can always become better.
Paired with levin, an archaic word for lightning, it evokes illumination — a sudden spark of insight and possibility. Together, they capture the university’s enduring spirit: a community driven not by completion, but by continuous growth.
At seventy-seven, Foundation University does not rest on its achievements. It moves forward — brighter, bolder, and ever becoming better. | NWI
