On Oct. 3, 2025, I had the privilege of meeting with the relatives and friends of Celestino M. Dizon, one of the pioneering Filipino entrepreneurs in gold and copper mining. The gathering at the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) celebrated two things: the construction of the Celestino Dizon Auditorium on the main campus way back in 1991 and the launch of a fund campaign to renovate the facility. This auditorium has played a major role in the evolution of what began as the CRC College of Arts and Sciences into the University of Asia and the Pacific. Part of the campaign involved the sale of artworks contributed by Celestino Dizon’s descendants and artist friends.

The current talk of coups reminded me of the politically turbulent period between the 1986 People Power Revolution and 1992, the year Fidel V. Ramos was elected President. There were numerous coup attempts, the worst of which occurred in November 1989—during the same school year that our CRC-College of Arts and Sciences began operations. I used to call them “mosquito” revolutions because they all failed, largely due to the popularity of President Cory Aquino.

When the Celestino M. Dizon Foundation generously enabled us to construct an auditorium, the facility became invaluable for the economic briefings that made CRC famous during Martial Law and in the aftermath of the EDSA Revolution. Dr. Jess Estanislao, Joe Romero, Henry Esteban, and I—assisted by young economists-in-training—delivered these briefings during Martial Law in rented auditoriums, one belonging to San Miguel Corporation on Ayala Avenue and the other to PCI Bank on Makati Avenue. Modesty aside, we were the only credible economic forecasters at the time, which meant our briefings attracted hundreds of people from the business and diplomatic communities. When the Dizon Auditorium was completed in 1991, we moved the briefings to our campus in Ortigas, which at the time was still surrounded by open fields where animals occasionally grazed.

Coincidentally, 1991 was also the year the famous Filipino writer and novelist, Nick Joaquin, finished writing Celestino M. Dizon’s biography, titled: TATANG: The Life Story of Celestino M. Dizon.

To emphasize that Celestino Dizon embodied many of the values we at UA&P try to instill in our teachers, students, and administrative staff, let me quote some passages from Joaquin’s book:

“Man being a fallen creature, no person can claim to inborn greatness. Virtue is something we have to create. We don’t just have it. Celestino Dizon was a good man because he learned to control the selfishness natural to every man. He had many faults, the most grievous being a violent temper, but he succeeded in correcting what was wrong in his nature and recreating himself as a gentle human being whose heart was for others. It is because of this success that he can be rated a great man. In fact, people who admire him cite in his honor, not the many firms he founded, nor the ventures in which he pioneered, nor his triumphs as entrepreneur but his humility and benevolence. He was humane.”

Today, we hold our economic briefings in a different auditorium on campus. The Celestino Dizon Auditorium has primarily become a venue for culture and the arts, hosting musical concerts, dramas, plays, and art exhibits organized by our faculty and students. That is why those raising funds to upgrade the auditorium to meet the demands of the Generation Z decided to hold an art auction and sale entitled “Giving HeART.”

For many years now, the Dizon Auditorium has hosted countless recitals, concerts, plays, student assemblies, and academic gatherings. At least three generations of students have stepped onto its stage, and generations of families have filled its seats. Beyond the economic briefings that characterized its early years, the Dizon Auditorium has always been more than a hall. It has literally been a second home—a place where our academic community has come together to learn, to celebrate, and to be inspired.

Going back to the origins of the precursor of UA&P—the CRC College of Arts and Sciences—I remember some of the earliest performances held in the Dizon Auditorium, when our facilities were far more modest than they are today. The sound system wasn't perfect, and the lights sometimes flickered, but what mattered most was the spirit of the students (echoing the entrepreneurial spirit of the young Celestino Dizon) who sang, acted, and spoke with such passion. Those early years taught me that what makes a venue special is not its structure, but the lives it shapes. That is precisely why the present management of UA&P—now led by distinguished alumni of our own university—wants to renovate the auditorium: so that future generations will have a stage worthy of their talents and dreams.

During the Oct. 3 event, the UA&P community paid tribute to Celestino’s descendants who continue his spirit of service. Luis “Chito” Dizon, Celestino’s only surviving son, is a long-term friend of UA&P. I grew very close to his family when they frequently invited me for meals in their home in Barcelona, where I spent two years as a Visiting Professor at the IESE Business School. Two from the third generation, Philip and Gary, have assumed the responsibility of sustaining their grandfather’s legacy. Their help in modernizing the Auditorium named after their grandfather reminds us that true stewardship is not confined to one lifetime—it is passed from generation to generation.

Also worthy of the deepest gratitude from the Dizon clan and the UA&P community are the artists who shared their works in the fundraising auction and the generous patrons who placed their bids with great enthusiasm. Every artwork, every bid, and every gesture of support was more than a transaction; it was a contribution to something much larger: the preservation of a space where culture, learning, and community life can flourish.

In this tribute to Celestino M. Dizon, let me also recognize the role played by his children and grandchildren in doing good as they honor the memory of their beloved “Tatang.” As Nick Joaquin wrote in his biography:

“His children have set up the C.M. Dizon Foundation which unobtrusively gives assistance to the needy. This memorial of his passion for helping people makes it possible for Tatang to be still around and ensures his continuing presence in the years to come. Funded by the wealth his mines are now making, the foundation is also a reminder that Tatang was never obsessed with wealth.”

Thanks to his children and grandchildren, the UA&P community has benefited from that admirable detachment that Tatang manifested—a trait that we at UA&P are trying our best to instill in our own budding young entrepreneurs.