Sustainability framed the conversation at The Laurel Legacy Lecture: Innovating for a Greener Future, a signature event under the 59th Founding Anniversary of Lyceum of the Philippines University-Batangas (LPU-B). More than a commemoration, the gathering became a call to reimagine progress through responsibility, anchored on ideas that move beyond conversation into action.
Setting the tone, Dr. Cecille Pring, Vice President for Academics and Research, welcomed the audience with a reminder that education and innovation thrive when guided by conscience. Her message opened the floor for forward-thinking dialogue that united the academe, industry, and youth toward a shared vision for sustainability.
At the heart of the event was Mr. Lee Kevin Lamela, Business Development Director–Generation Business of August Energy Investment Co. Pte. Ltd., whose insights traced the growing urgency of innovation in addressing the world’s energy and environmental challenges. He shared how creativity, collaboration, and courage can spark meaningful progress, showing that the path to sustainability is carved through choices driven by vision and responsibility.
The conversation deepened through an academic exchange led by Dr. Conrad Dotong, where perspectives converged on one truth: the planet’s future rests in the choices made today. The discussion culminated in a Pledge for the Planet, a symbolic yet powerful affirmation of collective accountability.
Voices from the student body echoed this resolve. Djela Carleen Parto, Secretary of Audit of the Lyceum Supreme Student Council, and Gerielle Denise Malabanan, President of the Lyceum Supreme Student Government, rallied their fellow Lyceans to lead with purpose, to see sustainability not as a trend, but as a responsibility that defines leadership in its truest sense.
Through the Laurel Legacy Lecture, LPU-B once again bridged thought and action, empowering minds to innovate with care and to lead with impact. In every dialogue, commitment, and promise made that day, the university’s vision for a sustainable future continues to grow, rooted in education, and reaching toward a greener tomorrow.
