23/08/2025
Sharing in its entirety the introduction of Dean Ulan Sarmiento of the new President of UA&P, Atty. Philip R. Yeung:
"Allow me to begin with the Tale of Milk and Sugar.
According to legend, when the Parsis—people originally from Persia—first arrived in India, they sought an audience with the local king to ask for permission to settle in his kingdom.
The king listened to their plea but gave no verbal reply. Instead, he sent them a silver bowl filled to the brim with milk. His message was clear: “My kingdom is full. There is no room for more.”
The wisest among the Parsis responded, not with words, but with action. He gently stirred a spoonful of sugar into the milk, careful not to let it overflow.
The king smiled. He understood. The sugar represented the Parsis' promise: “We will not displace or overwhelm. We will blend in, enrich your people, and sweeten the life of this land.”
That wise Parsi reminds me of the very person we gather to celebrate today—the 5th President of the University of Asia and the Pacific, Atty. John Philip R. Yeung.
Like the Parsi, Philip is humble yet courageous, showing clarity with kindness, and is always truthful—the very qualities of a leader worth following.
Philip is humble.
I must admit: I don’t remember meeting Philip in any particularly grand way. Somehow, he simply "dissolved" into the student body at San Beda Alabang School of Law, blending in without calling attention to himself—despite a background that would have justified it.
Even in my Obligations and Contracts class, he was quiet and unassuming—not because he lacked intelligence, but because he never sought the spotlight. He graduated from this respected institution in 2005, and later from San Beda Alabang School of Law, without much fanfare. He now teaches here, and when I invited him to teach at our law school, he remained the same: quiet, humble, and sincere.
I'll confess something now, Philip: when I heard your name was being considered for this role, I was surprised. And I know you were too. When I asked how you applied for the presidency, you told me—honestly—that you didn’t. In fact, you didn’t even want the position at first.
But that’s the paradox of true leadership. A genuine leader is often the last to see himself as one. As Mother Teresa once said, “A truly humble person is one whom nothing touches—neither praise nor disgrace—because they know who they are.”
But make no mistake—Philip's humility would not have brought him here without his courage.
Though reluctant at first, when asked about the future of UA&P, he spoke with candor and conviction. He was not afraid to say what needed to be said. He had the courage to take part in working towards a shared vision, to propose innovations, to offer sugar to a bowl already full of milk.
Philip is kind. But he is also clear and truthful.
Among the most evident fruits of the genuinely good heart Phillip has been blessed with is the family he and his wife Kristine continue to raise together - with children growing, thriving, rooted in the Christian faith, and beautiful inside and out. In the few times I have witnessed how they are towards eachother, I’m reminded of a line from Les Misérables: “To love another person is to see the face of God.” A truly kind person starts with loving his God and then his family—and from there, everything else flows.
Out of the abundance of his heart, as Jesus has taught, the mouth speaks. Phillip has stood before many of you in the past—speaking clearly, bravely, and with conviction. Not to win favor, but to earn trust. Not to gain applause, but to bring about growth. With his words and actions, we trust that he will be one who will continue to lead this school community towards the overflowing good our loving and mighty God has intended – good for each other, for the nation, even reaching the farthest corners of the world in living out our faith.
Ironically, we learn that the word “leader” is never used by Jesus to refer to Himself in the Bible. This was recently pointed out by Bishop Tagle in one of his most recent public engagements. And that invites some thought: Jesus is Rabbi/ Teacher, the Good Shepherd, the Friend, the Way, the Truth and the Life, the One who came to serve and not to be served.
I know Phillip to be a fellow lover of Christ, a follower of his Life and teachings. As any of the wisest, most learned among the generations would do, I trust Phillip looks to Christ and His way – as not one who would lord over everyone else or make their authority known but instead would choose to be gentle teacher, shepherd, friend, and servant.
So no, I may not have introduced Philip today in the way he might have expected – or the way you might have. But I did introduce him in the way he is.
The 5th President of the University of Asia and the Pacific is my son from San Beda Alabang School of Law, of whom I am honestly extremely pleased.
The 5th President of the University of Asia and the Pacific is a good lawyer, a compassionate professor, an even better businessman, an outstanding public servant, a devoted family man, and a loving follower of Christ the Servant King.
Here’s to a sweeter, fuller school community life abounding in goodness and grace with the 5th President of the University of Asia and the Pacific, again, my son: Atty. John Philip R. Yeung."
Credits to The Red Chronicles for the photos.
