05 December 2009

Established barely two (2) years after PLM admitted in 1967 its first batch of freshmen to the Associate in Arts (AA) degree, the College of Engineering & Technology, along with some degree-granting colleges, admitted AA graduates who had the dream of finishing an engineering degree.

Forty (40) years later, CET celebrated its week-long Ruby foundation this week with a blast from the past. Coming full circle as a sort of reunion for old faces who steered the College from humble yet noble beginnings, the new faces in CET joined the few remaining old faces in honoring the CET's pioneer dean, Engr. Raul M. Consunji. Dean Consunji served as such from 1979 to 1988, and concurrently as Regent from 1984 to 1991.

Dean Consunji's colleagues back then have delivered testimonies on their experiences of working with him, including Ms. Venus Martin (then a CET faculty member, now the PLM Asst. Registrar) and Engr. Milagros Cabangon (then a department chair and his future successor as dean). His former staff at CET, Ms. Buena Cynthia Canta, now an executive assistant for the Board of Regents, describes him as "a strict but caring father; fearsome, but as you get to know him better, you will know that he treats his staff, faculty and students as his own children as he is concerned about their welfare."

With its theme, "CET: Sustaining the Legacy of Excellence in Technology," the CET proved its commitment to nurturing the research acumen of its scholars by conducting a "research forum" as the main activity on the first day. The rest of the week was marked by an open fair by all departments/courses, as well as several contests of wits, talents and brains participated in by the representatives of all student organizations and the faculty.