PLM marks 60th founding anniversary, honors outstanding alumni, pioneer batches

PAMANTASAN ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), the Philippines' first tuition-free and first city university, marked a milestone this week as it opened its weeklong celebration of its 60th founding anniversary on June 16.

In 60 years, the PLM produced over 100,000 professionals — many of them are nurses, doctors, engineers, accountants, medical technologists, lawyers, physical therapists, teachers, government and business executives and entrepreneurs across the Philippines and overseas, mostly in the United States, Canada, Europe and the Middle East.

It was on June 19, 1965 when then President Diosdado Macapagal signed Republic Act 4196, which created the University of City of Manila, more popularly known as Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, derived from the word "pantas" or wise.

60 YEARS Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) marks its 60th founding anniversary with a weeklong celebration of pride and recognition. PHOTO FROM PLM FACEBOOK PAGE

Officials of PLM, led by its present president Dr. Domingo Reyes, lead the weeklong celebration with the support of the PLM Alumni Association, headed by Bishop Reuben Abante, an engineering graduate of PLM. Present PLM officials also honored past university presidents, chairman and members of the PLM Board of Regents on June 17.

Highlighting the celebration would be the reinstallation of the bust monument of Mayor Antonio Villegas, who opened PLM on July 17, 1967, with 556 student scholars, considered the cream of the crop of the 26 high schools of Manila.

The university would also honor its first five batches of students from 1967 to 1971 with the presentation of PLM medallions to each of the batch members. Capping the celebration will be the presentation of the Haribon Award to the first batch of 65 outstanding alumni and the launching of the first of the two-volume PLM coffee table book "Pantas."