July 5, 2021 — The UP Manila community offered a heartfelt send-off to a longtime ally and UP Board of Regents member Dr. Nelia Teodoro-Gonzalez who served the university and country in various capacities for more than 70 years.
Regent Gonzalez led a multifaceted life pioneering in agribusiness and social entrepreneurship, engaging in public service duties, and advocating for gender equality among others. She was a holder of a UP Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa, and one of the UPAA Lifetime Distinguished Achievements awardees in 2013 that recognized her accomplishments as one of the country’s first top female executives and for inspiring generations of women across Southeast Asia.1
Sharing personal vignettes of Regent Gonzalez’s influence in her life, Chancellor Carmencita Padilla shared how “Tita Nelia”, as she was fondly called, was keen to learn developments in her personal life and career at every opportunity. “She stayed connected with people and was always updated with their lives. She attended activities, big or small. Basta’t inimbitahan mo, darating siya.”
For Chancellor Padilla, Tita Nelia had a fully lived life that must be shared. Her stories, advice, and wisdom must be listened to and learned from. She recounted how Tita Nelia was there to support her during the challenging times of her career when she was lobbying for the Newborn Screening Law and fighting for the creation of the Philippine Genome Center. In their last long conversation, Regent Gonzalez reminded Chancellor Padilla that serving the people is a responsibility and that nobody is ever too old to serve. “She said to me, if you can serve beyond the university, go ahead. So long as the heart and mind are willing to serve, continue to serve.”
Other UP Manila officials and alumni who were close to Regent Gonzalez reflected on her remarkable life and how she touched not only their careers but also their lives. Vice Chancellor Arlene Samaniego wrote: “Ma’am Nelia was a very remarkable lady! An accomplished person with so many great achievements, but very down-toearth and “chill” mommy to all. Walang mataas o mababang tao sa kanya. She treats everyone equally and nicely.” [She was] very inspiring to listen to not only because of the wisdom she interjects in the discussion but also of the calm softspoken person that she is, she added.
Food and Drug Administration Director-General and UPCM alumnus Rolando Enrique Domingo wrote: “The instant that you get to know her, she instantly became your “Tita” because of her warmth and love for everything and everyone around her… She was the Tita that we all wanted; the one who spoils us, encourages us, and supports us no matter what.”
As a leader, Tita Nelia had a strong personality beneath her feminine charm. This was according to former Vice Chancellor for Administration and PGH Director Napoleon Apolinario who wrote that she could be sweet when the situation calls for it and fought with toughness when it was the only way to get things done. “At the time when agriculture was dominated by men, Tita Nelia was the only female graduate in 1944 at the height of World War II. She taught us the meaning of fortitude and lakas ng loob.”
Former UP Manila Chancellor Ramon Arcadio wrote that Regent Nelia was a God-loving lady. “She showed this divine love by her many projects in various socio-civic organizations that benefitted the poor. Even in her senior years, she had the energy, interest, and involvement in university activities practically in all campuses of UP.”
Dean Charlotte Chiong of the UP College of Medicine recognized Regent Gonzalez’s numerous achievements and contributions that shaped the University in the past 70 years. The college prepared a short video in her honor.
Even in her 90s, Regent Gonzalez made use of her linkages to boost her public service duties. Regent Nelia was truly one of the University’s most outstanding alumni and an icon in the UP community. Her life’s work may be read in Nelia T. Gonzalez: An Entrepreneur’s Journey (UPLBAA, 2015) and in Nelia T. Gonzalez: The Woman, Her Life, Her Legacy (SEAMEOSEARCA, 2002).2
Anne Marie D. Alto
Sources:
Featured in the UP Manila Healthscape (Special COVID-19 Issue No. 30, August 2021)
