Olivia V. Yanson, co-founder of the biggest bus firm in Southeast Asia, was conferred an honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Business Management degree by the University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos in Bacolod City Wednesday morning, August 30.
Yanson, 89, citing the recent heavy rains that hit Negros Occidental and Bacolod, said she wants to donate an evacuation center where people can stay and be safe in times of calamity.
Her mother hopes that with the cooperation of the Bacolod City government led by Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and the city council, and the guidance and help of UNO-R, her dream of putting up an evacuation center will become a reality, Ginnette Dumancas said.
Yanson said she plans on donating trees she had planted 20 years ago on 400 hectares of land in Bayawan to the UNO-R priests to help build the evacuation center for Bacolod.
Yanson and her husband, Ricardo, founded the Yanson Group of Bus Companies that has grown to become the biggest bus firm in Southeast Asia.
Fr. Joel Alve, UNO-R president, who led the conferment of the Doctor of Philosophy in Business Management (honoris causa) degree on Yanson, said the legacy of the Yanson family has left an indelible mark on the landscape of Bacolod and Negros Occidental.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude for their relentless efforts that have become fruits of goodness, empowerment, and advancement. The legacy of compassion and generosity that Olivia Yanson carries forward continues to touch countless lives, reminding us of the power of benevolence and the significance of sharing blessings with those less fortunate,” he said.
Alve cited her philanthrophic work towards making the lives of many brighter and better, which has become “a beacon of hope that illuminates the path for others to follow”.
“We celebrate you not only for the honor bestowed upon you but for the lives you have touched, the paths you have illuminated, and the legacy you continue to build,” he said.
Yanson, who was accompanied by her children Leo Rey and Ginette, thanked the university for the honorary doctorate degree conferred on her.
“I will treasure this PhD degree as a testament of my achievements and my legacy to the world. I am so honored to be Dr. Olivia Villaflores Yanson,” she said.
Yanson, whose parents were Cayo Villaflores and Dolores Torrillo, said she obtained a nursing degree from Silliman University in Dumaguete City.
She chose to become a nurse “to serve humanity, with compassion and caring”, Yanson said.
“At the time, neither my parents nor I, myself would have come to envision that there was far more in store for me throughout my life,” she said, when fate led her to becoming a successful entrepreneur.
Yanson said when she and her husband, started their transportation business “It was never easy at the beginning, the hardships involved financial difficulties in starting a business and there were so many other challenges.”
She became involved in helping the bus firm’s employees, Yanson said.
Yanson said she also sponsored a group of physicians and surgeons from Pennsylvania, USA, to come and perform surgery on poor children who had cleft lip and palate problems.
“That was a very rewarding mission as I saw the happy faces of children who were once withdrawn and shy because of their deformity, transform into more confident children,” she added.
She has also supported education by providing buildings and educational resources to schools and colleges and funding the studies of underprivileged children, Yanson said.
Yanson said what she does is “God’s work and not mine. I am merely a vehicle for the Almighty God’s work here on earth”.
“Every day, there was something for me to do, the business aspect was a major role for me but the humanity aspect was even a bigger role because human lives are at stake and that is precious,” she said.
“This is who I am, Olivia Villaflores Yanson, a woman of strength, dignity, resilience, a generous heart, and committed to my life’s work,” Yanson said.
Yanson’s speech that she interspersed with adlibs in Ilonggo was widely applauded and cheered. She was also given a standing ovation by the crowd who filled the UNO-R gym.*