MANILA: The University of the Philippines (UP) today conferred the degree of Doctor of Laws, an Honorary Doctorate, to Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on the second and last day of his official visit to the Philippines.
J. Prospero E. De Vera lll, Chairperson of Higher Education and Chairperson of the UP Board of Regents and Angelo A. Jimenez, UP President and Co-Chair of the UP Board of Regents, facilitated the conferment of the honorary degree to Anwar.
According to the UP Vice President for Public Affairs, Jose Wendell Capili, the Malaysian PM has been a devoted scholar on the life, works and teaching of Filipino hero, Dr Jose Rizal.
"Anwar's interest in Rizaliana was furthered by his frequent visits to the UP in his youth under the tutelage of the late Professor Emeritus of History and UP Diliman College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean Cesar Adib Majul.
"Aside from that, Anwar is respected for his principled stance against corruption and his management of the Malaysian economy during the Asian Financial crisis," read a statement by the UP.
Nearly 2,000 students, academicians and senior representatives from embassies and other universities were also in attendance in Villamor Hall, UP.
After the ceremony, Anwar delivered a lecture titled "30 Years from Asian Renaissance: Strategic Takeaways for Asean."
The university's statement further mentioned that Anwar was cited for being a scholar and an internationally-acclaimed expert on economics, democracy, freedom, governance, Islam and the need for accountability.
Anwar also held lecturing positions at St. Anthony's College of Oxford, the School of Advanced International Studies at John Hopkins University and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University since the early 2000's.