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Due to his contributions to business and community development, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) president Roberto E. Aboitiz received an honorary degree for Doctor of Science in Business Management from the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJR) last Aug. 19. During his conferment, Aboitiz said that the citation is “an honor (we) will treasure in (our) family.”

“I receive this prestigious award on behalf of all men and women I have worked with over the years. The challenges and setbacks we have experienced have served to form me into the person that I am today. This is an occasion for all of us to celebrate,” Aboitiz told the audience mostly composed of the USJR Board of Trustees, administration, faculty, and students.

Aboitiz is also Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Aboitiz Construction Group Inc.-Metaphil. He is also Director of Aboitiz and Company Inc., Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc., AboitizLand Inc., Cebu Industrial Park Development Inc., City Savings Bank, Tsuneishi Heavy Industries (Cebu) Inc., and Aboitiz Foundation Inc.

He is also the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sacred Heart School-Jesuits. He is the Consul ad Honorem of the Netherlands in Cebu and has been serving in this capacity since May 1980.

In March 2008, he received the Doctor of Humanities (Honoris Causa) and the Perlas Award (Valuable Leader in Youth and Community Development). In January 2009, he was conferred the Knighthood in the Order of Orange-Nassau by Her Majesty Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, Queen of the Netherlands.

In his conferment, Aboitiz shared his “Bugsay Philosophy.” Bugsay is the Cebuano word for paddle. “Every person in this room, and born into this world, is given a bugsay. By this, I mean that we have the power to act, to achieve, and to propel ourselves to become the person of our choice.

In this respect, we are all born equal. What we accomplish thereafter depends largely on the decisions and choices we make or fail to make. It’s called free will,” he said. He pointed out the importance of having a goal in life broken into daily activities; being prepare to deal with setbacks and changes; persisting; having the right attitude and plan to succeed; working with teams; taking a positive view of life; and living life with a purpose.

“Like the fishermen, don’t stop paddling or you will never get to your destination. Believe in yourself and trust in your mission. You can make a difference. We can build a nation if we all paddle together,” Aboitiz said. As president of RAFI, Aboitiz integrates his development framework of partnership, linkages, and belief that development is possible when there is collaboration from all sectors.