Former UP President Jose V. Abueva, PhD, passed away on Aug. 18. He was 93.

Abueva, professor emeritus of political science and public administration at the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG), was UP’s 16th President (1987 to 1993). He concurrently served as UPD chancellor from 1990 to 1991. He was the founder and the first president of Kalayaan College, Quezon City.

Abueva introduced the socialized tuition and financial assistance program (STFAP) in 1987 and institutionalized a Filipino language policy within the university. He established the leadership, citizenship and democracy program in 1992, which became the Center for Leadership, Citizenship, and Democracy—one of NCPAG’s research and training centers. Abueva also signed the 1989 UP-Department of National Defense Accord, recently abrogated by the Philippine government.

Abueva earned his degree in arts-law (cum laude) from UPD in 1951. He completed a master’s degree in public administration in 1954, and a PhD in political science in 1959, both from the University of Michigan.

Abueva received numerous awards, among them the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) award (for political science) in 1962, the first ever Distinguished Scholar Award of UP in 1968 given by then UP President Carlos P. Romulo, and the Most Outstanding UP Alumnus in Social Sciences award in 1976.

Prior to his UP presidency, he was an adviser to the Ford Foundation in Nepal in 1973, which then sent him on similar assignments in Thailand and Singapore until his stint with the United Nations University from 1977 to 1987, which took him to Tokyo and New York.

As a political scientist and public administration scholar, Abueva specialized in democracy and governance, political science, politics and adminsitration, and decentralization and federalism. He authored, co-authored, and edited several books published here and abroad, including “Focus on the Barrio,” “Ramon Magsaysay — A Political Biography,” “The Philippines Into the 21st Century,” “Filipino Nationalism,” “Leadership and Authority in Asia,” “Political and Administrative Development,” “Development Administration in Asia,” “New Challenges for Development and Modernization;” Filipino Spiritual Culture, Social Transformation, and Globalization,” and “Towards a Federal Republic of the Philippines with a Parliamentary Government.”

On its Facebook page, the UP NCPAG said that it mourns the passing of Abueva and honors his legacy of service to the nation and the Univesrity. “Outside academia, Abueva was a celebrated statesman. He was the secretary of the Philippine Constitutional Convention of 1971; chairman of the Legislative-Executive Military Bases Council from 1989 to 1990; and chairperson of the Consultative Constitutional Commission during the presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.”

The UP Beta Sigma Fraternity also paid tribute to Abueva: “As an intellectual and public servant, Brod Dr. Abueva never failed to deliver. He put his brilliant mind to use for good, formulating and advocating for sound policy choices, most notable of which was a society without killing or the threat of such.”

UP President Danilo Concepcion, through memorandum order OSU2021-09-01, ordered “the Philippine Flag and the UP Flag in all Constituent Universities be flown at half-mast starting today until 29 August 2021, and on the date of former President Abueva’s interment on 26 September 2021.”

Abueva’s daughter Rossana Abueva, posted and announced on her FB page the schedule of the online novena and 40th-day memorial service.

Abueva is survived by his children and grandchildren.