By Rev. Dr. Francis Neil G. Jalando-on
As CPU marks its 120th anniversary, we honor Dr. Rex D. Drilon (1905ĢƵ1971), the first Filipino president whose visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to faith, scholarship, and service transformed ĢƵ into a truly Filipino-led institution.
As ĢƵ celebrates its 120th Founding Anniversary (1905ĢƵ2025), it looks back with deep gratitude to the leaders who shaped its faith, vision, and identity. Among them, Dr. Rex Divinagracia Drilon stands as a monumental figure, the first Filipino president who transformed CPU from an American-founded mission school into a fully Filipino-led university. His leadership marked a historic turning point: the fulfillment of the long-cherished dream of Filipinization and the strengthening of the Central Spirit, which is a spirit of faith, scholarship, and service that continues to inspire the CPU community today.
In this milestone year, we remember Dr. Drilon not only as a brilliant educator, journalist, and administrator but as a visionary who believed that ĢƵThis nation will be great again and again as it faces the futureĢƵs everlasting travails with brow ever raised and faith never dying.ĢƵ His life and leadership continue to embody the UniversityĢƵs enduring motto, Scientia et Fides, and the belief that Christian education must serve both God and country.
The Life and Education of a Visionary
Dr. Rex Divinagracia Drilon was born in Dumangas, Iloilo, on April 21, 1905. He spent much of his childhood in his hometown, where he received his early education. He completed his secondary education and earned his Associate in Arts (Pre-Law) with honors at Central Philippine College in 1925 and 1927, respectively. Through a scholarship, he pursued higher studies in the United States, earning his Bachelor of Arts in English at Linfield College, McMinnville, Oregon, in 1931; his BachelorĢƵs in Journalism and Master of Arts in Editorial Writing at the University of Missouri in 1937. In 1949, he was officially approved as a matriculated candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in International Relations and Law at Columbia University. Later, in 1967, Linfield College conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.), recognizing his distinguished contributions in education and leadership (Central Echo, 1967, vol. 41, no. 9, pp. 3, 28).
The Educator and Writer
Dr. Drilon began his career as an English high school teacher at Central Philippine College from 1927 to 1929. After his studies in the United States, he taught Editorial Writing at the University of Missouri School of Journalism in 1936. Upon returning to the Philippines, he became an English instructor at Central Philippine College in 1938ĢƵ1939 and later a professor of English at the National Teachers College and Lacson College in Manila until the outbreak of World War II in 1941.
During the war, he served as an officer in the Panay Guerrilla Movement, where he became chief and later executive officer of the History Section (Link, 1970, vol. 7, no. 1, p. 1). After the war, Dr. Drilon returned to Central Philippine College as professor and head of the English Department (1945ĢƵ1947), dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and director of the University Summer School. His students fondly described him as ĢƵa journalist from Missouri
who walks with a busy manĢƵs heavy tread, keeps a thesaurus in his head and exhibits a mood as stable as the wavesĢƵ (Central Echo, Postwar Issue, January 1946, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 5ĢƵ6).
He later served as director of public relations, adviser to The Central Echo, and officer of the CPU Alumni Association. His multifaceted contributions reflected both his love for scholarship and his deep commitment to forming critical and independent minds among students.
The Visionary President
On June 1, 1966, Dr. Drilon made history as the first Filipino President of ĢƵ, succeeding decades of American leadership since its founding in 1905. His installation was held on April 21, 1967, officiated by President Ferdinand E. Marcos. During the ceremony, a fifty-voice choir sang ĢƵThis Nation Will Be Great AgainĢƵ— a poem written by Dr. Drilon himself, with music composed by Frederick E. Bieler (Central Echo, 1967, vol. 41, no. 9, p. 3).
The poem has stirring lines like: ĢƵThis nation was greatĢƵ This nation will be great again and again as it faces the futureĢƵs everlasting travails with brow ever raised and faith never dying.ĢƵ This poem reflected his deep sense of nationalism and faith in the Filipino spirit. This conviction became the heart of his presidency and inspired his battle cry for ĢƵA Great Central.ĢƵ He urged the university community with a timeless challenge: ĢƵWe shall move this school as it has never been moved before. Central will be great.ĢƵ
One of the most momentous achievements under his leadership was the turnover of the entire university property (land, buildings, and equipment) from the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society to the Filipino Corporation of ĢƵ on Christmas Day, December 25, 1969. This unprecedented act was hailed as ĢƵan event without parallel in the history of religious foreign missionsĢƵ (Nelson & Herradura, 1995, p. 214).
The Bridge Between Two Eras
President Drilon saw his presidency as a bridge between the years of American support and the new era of Filipino leadership. In his inaugural address, he declared:
ĢƵIf your Filipino president fails, then the Filipino name is marked forever. But if your Filipino president succeeds with your help, with your loyalty, then the Filipino name shall be honored –you honor yourselves.ĢƵ
His administration was characterized by visionary reforms — the establishment of the University Research Center, improvements in campus facilities, expansion of the College of Agriculture, and the implementation of the faculty and staff retirement program (Centralite, 1967, p. 22). He also founded the Southeast Asia Quarterly, a scholarly journal that promoted CPU as a center of academic research and dialogue in the region.
The Advocate of Academic Freedom
Dr. Drilon was a passionate defender of academic freedom and believed that education must serve both truth and liberty. He organized the University Forum, which he described as ĢƵa free market of ideas,ĢƵ where faculty and students could express their views ĢƵwith no holds barred.ĢƵ He encouraged student writers to engage national issues through The Central Echo, believing that a university should be ĢƵa community of human beings entitled to be heard.ĢƵ
The Cebu Advocate (1967) described him as ĢƵa dangerous presidentĢƵ possessed with such an utterly open mind as can, therefore, see whatĢƵs wrong with many of us and can stir everyone into a fuller involvement of democracy in educationĢƵ (Central Echo, September 1967, vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 1, 4).
He upheld democratic participation and intellectual courage. These are values that shaped CPUĢƵs institutional character long after his passing.
The Builder of Relationships
Beyond his intellectual and administrative legacy, Dr. Drilon cultivated meaningful partnerships with national and international agencies. He strengthened ties with the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, while asserting Filipino autonomy in university governance. He initiated collaborations with the Department of Agriculture, UNESCO, and other institutions that positioned CPU as an emerging center of Christian higher education in the Visayas.
He also served as President of the Association of Colleges of Agriculture in the Philippines (ACAP) and President of the Association of Private Schools in Western Visayas, advocating for teacher welfare, curriculum modernization, and agricultural advancement.
The Journalist and Patriot
Dr. Drilon was a prolific writer whose works championed liberty, faith, and national dignity. He wrote for the Manila Daily Bulletin, Historical Bulletin, Philippine Free Press, Hiligaynon Magazine, and even the New York Times. His writings blended faith and social consciousness, reflecting his Baptist upbringing and nationalist convictions.
He was recognized as ĢƵMan of the Year 1970ĢƵ by the World War II Veterans Association, 6th Military District, and was listed in the World WhoĢƵs Who (1970). This affirmed his impact as a journalist, educator, and patriot (Link, 1970, vol. 7, no. 1, p. 4).
The Enduring Legacies
Dr. Drilon passed away suddenly on February 21, 1971, while still serving as president. Thousands of students, faculty, and staff joined his funeral procession which was one of the longest ever witnessed in Jaro, Iloilo. He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Independencia Quimpo Drilon, and their children: Ed Nathan, Lincoln Rex, and Pearl Dency.
His legacies remain deeply woven into the fabric of CPU:
- Filipinization of Leadership ĢƵ Fulfilled the vision of Filipino administration of CPU.
- Institutional Autonomy ĢƵ Oversaw the historic turnover of ownership from ABFMS to the Filipino Corporation of CPU.
- Academic Freedom and Democracy ĢƵ Established the University Forum and fostered intellectual courage.
- Research and Scholarship ĢƵ Strengthened the University Research Center and launched Southeast Asia Quarterly.
- Moral and Civic Leadership ĢƵ Modeled faith, service, and national responsibility.
- Cultural Nationalism ĢƵ Authored ĢƵThis Nation Will Be Great Again,ĢƵ a poetic call to moral awakening.
- Humanitarian Spirit ĢƵ Valued the dignity of all workers and upheld social justice.
- Educational Reforms ĢƵ Improved faculty benefits, facilities, and academic programs.
- CPU Identity and Spirit ĢƵ Defined the enduring motto of ĢƵA Great Central.ĢƵ
In recognition of his life and service, CPU conferred upon him the Distinguished Service Award in 1971 and the Posthumous Service Award on March 22, 2002.
Senator Franklin M. Drilon, his nephew, fittingly reflected:
ĢƵTito Rex molded the values of the Drilon clan. He instilled in us the value of integrity and intellectual honesty, the value of respect for elders, and the value of discipline. With his own life, he held these values high, and with his death, he left them to us as a living and lasting legacyĢƵ (Central Echo, 1996, vol. 76, no. 3, pp. 22ĢƵ23).
As CPU marks its 120 years of excellence, faith, and service, it remembers Dr. Rex D. Drilon as a president who not only led but transformed; a man whose vision made the University truly its own and whose spirit continues to make Central great.