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Introducing Pastor Wendell M. Serrano
Guest Speaker, Baccalaureate Service
44th Commencement Exercises
Mindanao State University
Marawi City, Philippines
6:00 AM, April 3, 2009
by:
Linda Vilma A. Ole
Department of Physics
College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Mindanao State University
Marawi City
We are privilege this morning to have with us, as our Guest Speaker, a man who started from a humble beginning, strove, and rose from the ranks to reach the point where he is now.
We are also having a man who is a product of the combination of the existing educational systems in the Philippines. He finished his elementary education as Valedictorian from a public school in Jabonga, Agusan del Norte in 1960. He graduated high school valedictorian from Harvardian Colleges, a private non-sectarian school, in Davao City in 1967. He graduated AB Theology from Mountain View College (or MVC) in Valencia City, Bukidnon in 1978. Then he finished his graduate studies Master of Arts in Religion, with majors in (1) Systematic Theology, and (2) Pastoral stadies from the Seventh-day Adventists Theological Seminary of the Far East in Silang, Cavite in 1983. Both Mountain View College and the Theological Seminary of the Far East (now named as Adventist Internatinational Institute for Asvanced Studies or AIIAS) are private-sectarian educational institutions belonging to the Seventh-day Adventists.
We are also having a man who went through his high school and college as a self-supporting student yet this did not prevent him from obtaining honors and recognition while at the same time working for the cause of the students. In 1966, in his junior years at the Harvardian Colleges (now called as Harvardian University), aside from obtaining the First Honors, he also received a gold medal for being the most outstanding Junior Student of the Harvardian Colleges. During that year, he was the Student Governor. In 1967, he received a gold medal for being the Most Outstanding Senior Student of the Harvardian Colleges, and he received a Plaque from Davao City Jaycees for being One of the Most Outstanding High School Graduates of Davao City that year. During that academic year was his second stint as a Student Governor. During the academic year (AY) 1967-68, he got two gold medals for the academic honors he received from Southwestern University in Cebu City. The following academic year, 1968-1969, he was voted as one of the senators of the student council of Southwestern University. Financial difficulty, political uncertainties, and some home responsibilities prevented him to finish college at Southwestern University. Yet the desire to work for the students' cause did not diminish as he enrolled at Mountain View College. In 1977 he became the President of the Ministerial Seminar, an MVC Student Outreach. In 1978, he became the President of the Graduating class.
His educational trainings (being a product of different educational systems), and his experiences equipped him for his chosen vocation, the Ministry. Right after graduation from MVC, he became the District Pastor at Northeastern Mindanao Mission in Butuan City, the position he held for four years, from 1978 to 1982. He became a professor at Mountain View College during the academic year 1983-1984, right after he finished his Masters Studies in 1983. He became a Church Pastor at the College Church of Mountain View College during the academic year 1984-1985. This happens right after his Ordination to the Ministry in 1984. He became the Chairman of the Theology Department during the academic years 1985-1986 and 1986-1987 but he left MVC to become the President of the Davao Mission of the Seventh-day Adventists in Davao area; a position he held for two years, from 1988 to 1990. He left Davao in 1991 to become the Director of the Church Ministries of the South Philippine Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists based in Cagayan de Oro City. He left Cagayan de Oro City in 1996 to become the President of the Southern Mindanao Mission of the Seventh-day Adventists (Cotabato Area) based in General Santos City. As he served President of Southern Mindanao Mission in 1996 to 2000, he has done some traveling abroad. In 1999, he was a lecturer in Multi-Church Pastoral at Bombay, India. The following year, from April to May 2000 he was a Speaker of Evangelistic Meetings at Winnipeg, Canada. After serving as President at Southern Mindanao Mission, he came back to CDO in 2001 to become the Executive Secretary of the South Philippine Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists. Just a year ago, in 2008, he became the President of the South Philippine Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists.
Now, being the President of the South Philippine Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists, he is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the different hospitals and colleges labeled as the Seventh-day Adventists Institutions in Mindanao. The hospitals that are his concern are: Mindanao Sanitarium and Hospital in Iligan City, Gingoog Sanitarium and Hospital in Gingoog City, Valencia Sanitarium and Hospital in Valencia City, Bukidnon, and Davao Adventist Hospital in Davao City. The colleges that are his concern are: Mindanao Sanitarium & Hospital College in Iligan City and Mountain View College in Valencia City, Bukidnon. He is also a member of the executive committee (the highest deciding committee) of the World Church Headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventists based in Maryland, USA. He traveled abroad to Europe, Middle East, Asia, Canada and the USA and has given lectures and/or acted as resource person on topics of his specialization.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I hope you understand now why I have said at the opening statement of this introduction that our guest speaker is a man who started from a humble beginning, strove, and rose from the ranks to reach the point where he is now. As a family man, our guest speaker is a grandfather with grandkids Alec Mervyn, Dean Axl and Anika Zen. All of his three children namely: Elma Bella Serrano-Gucilatar; Norkis D. Serrano; and Nee Viole D. Serrano are all married. Our guest speaker shared his life , all his success, pains and challenges with his wife, the former Miss Estrella Dahuya of Zamboanga Sibugay. Mrs. Estrella Dahuya-Serrano is an MSUan having finished the graduate course Masters in Education from Mindanao State University at General Santos City and, if we can make a man an MSUan by marital affinity, then we can say that our guest speaker is also an .MSUan. Most men would say that behind their success is a dutiful and a wonderful wife yet, our Guest Speaker attributed his success to God Almighty. According to him, "To God I give honor and thanks for I am only his vessel and servant"
Ladies and Gentlemen, let us listen to our Guest speaker, a grandfather, a father, a husband, the President of the South Philippine Union of the Seventh-day Adventist, and a Servant of God: Pastor Wendell Mangoya Serrano!
