August 21, 2021
The Passing of Dr. Jose V. Abueva, Former President of the University of the Philippines
Upon the passing of Dr. Jose Veloso Abueva, former president of the University of the Philippines, on August 18, 2021, SGI President Daisaku Ikeda sent a message expressing his heartfelt condolences to the family. Dr. Abueva was 93 years old.
In his message, Mr. Ikeda lauded Dr. Abueva as
a champion of nonviolence who had dedicated his life to people’s happiness and
to securing peace in Asia and the world. Dr. Abueva’s love of young people and
his commitment to improving education and academia, Mr. Ikeda asserted, will
leave an unfading and widely admired legacy of hope and courage.
Born in Cebu, Philippines in 1928, Dr. Abueva
headed the United Nations University at its headquarters in Tokyo and then
served as president of the University of the Philippines. He established
Kalayaan College in 2000, where he served as director of its Institute for
Federal-Parliamentary Democracy and of the Institute for a Nonkilling
Philippines. In 2016, Dr. Abueva and Mr. Ikeda published their dialogue, Global
Citizenship: Toward a Civilization of Wisdom, Love and Peace, as a legacy
for the “youthful global citizens—in Asia and around the world—who bear the
weight of our collective future.”
[Adapted from an
article in the August 21, 2021, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, Soka Gakkai, Japan]
