There is a line in a George Bernard Shaw play that goes: “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” This derogatory phrase reflects poor appreciation of the teaching profession. History is lined with some great doers and achievers who have taught at the same time. Albert Einstein, Robert Frost, and Marie Curie are just some in this list. A good teacher in fact goes beyond doing because imparting knowledge comes from a deep understanding of a discipline, something the regular doer might not even have a grasp of.
This author is one of the privileged graduates of a course at the Ateneo de Manila University that has produced some of the key leaders of government, industry, and the academe – the Management Engineering (ME) Program. In 2022, the ME program celebrated its 53rd year.
The ME Program was developed by a former Jesuit, Wallace Campbell which was then way ahead of its time, a program capable of developing forward thinking students, based on the highest levels of program contents. It was one of the first courses in the Philippines to offer Operations Research, aside from the other rigorous math subjects.
Campbell left in 1969 and to those that have studied ME for the past 50 years, there was one constant – Dr. Mari-Jo Panganiban Ruiz who taught Linear Programming and Operations Research. The over 4,000 graduates of the ME Program have fond memories of Dr. Mari-Jo Ruiz. I write this in tribute to this woman who was the guiding light for ME throughout its over half century of existence. Mari-Jo passed away peacefully last month while on vacation with her family in Boracay. It was a sudden goodbye which shocked many of us who enjoyed our ME celebration with her a month earlier.
Allow me to quote from an article written by Joan Yao for ME’s 40th year supplement. “Dr. Mari-jo Ruiz has been so many different things to different people. But whether she is remembered by her students as a teacher who “gave difficult tests,” or “the mother (they) never had,” a trusted mentor and friend, or quite simply someone who changed their view about life, their careers, or even staying in ME to begin with, what is important to note is that she’s someone to everyone – because she has been there all along. And in all these – as her former student, business partner, colleague and friend, Dr. Darwin Yu puts it – she has maintained the high standards of the ME program, and constantly driven its students to new heights of excellence.”
Aristotle said: “Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach.” Dr. Mari-jo Ruiz understood and devoted her life to teaching. At the Ateneo, she went on to become Chair of both the Management Engineering and the Mathematics Department. She was the last Dean of the Ateneo College of Arts and Sciences who was at the helm of its transformation into the four Loyola Schools today. She demonstrated the competence of being able to understand, teach and administer (do). She was recognized with Metrobank’s Outstanding Teacher and Ateneo’s Lux in Domino (Light in the World) Awards. More importantly, her students look back fondly to this pillar who made a difference in their lives. And she remained connected to the ME graduates.
Robie Siy, student council president during my time, wrote this. “She knows us, believed in us, scolded us, coached us, molded us, and cheered us on as we went through our lives. What she has gifted us with has no price tag and no expiration date. A life well lived in the service of others and of God.”
Management engineering graduates of the Ateneo all over the world owe her a huge debt of gratitude, big time. Many are leaders in their fields, bank presidents and executives, corporation CEOs or CFOs, public officials, key contributors in the academe, NGOs, and so on. The least common denominator to many is this great teacher, Dr. Mari-Jo Ruiz. Truly, she exemplifies the Aristotelian principle proving how teaching is indeed a most noble profession. She is the inspiration for an ME mantra, “The Limit Does Not Exist!”
It’s only fitting to conclude with Mari-Jo’s message to the ME graduates for the 50th anniversary program. “In ME you were challenged to think analytically and critically; it was intentionally tough, so you learned to perform under pressure. You have run away with these basic gifts and changed your world -- our world. Go on living, keep on doing.”
Thank you, Mari-Jo. Safe travels. Buen Camino.
(Benel Dela Paz Lagua was previously EVP and Chief Development Officer at the Development Bank of the Philippines. He is an active FINEX member and an advocate of risk-based lending for SMEs. Today, he is independent director in progressive banks and in some NGOs. The views expressed herein are his own and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of his office as well as FINEX.)