Nemesio Prudente
Nemesio E. Prudente | |
|---|---|
| 4th President of the Philippine College of Commerce | |
| In office 1962–1972 | |
| Preceded by | Victor Dela Torre |
| Succeeded by | Narciso Albaraccin, Jr. |
| 2nd President of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines | |
| In office 1986–1991 | |
| Preceded by | Pablo T. Mateo |
| Succeeded by | Zenaida A. Olonan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Nemesio Encarnacion Prudente December 1, 1926 |
| Died | March 20, 2008 (aged 81) Dasmariñas, Cavite, Philippines |
| Parent(s) | Felicidad Encarnacion Mamerto Prudente |
| Alma mater | United States Merchant Marine Academy (BS) San Francisco State College (MA) University of Southern California (Ph.D.) |
| Profession | Educator Human rights defender Activist |
Nemesio "Doc" Encarnacion Prudente (December 1, 1926 – March 20, 2008) was a Filipino educator, political activist, and human rights defender who served as president of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. Prudente is credited with revitalizing public education in the Philippines by institutionalizing reforms in the state university he led, which will eventually become the largest state university by enrollment.
During World War II, Prudente was a courier for guerrillas as a teenager. In the 1950s, Prudente worked at Sears, Roebuck and Co. in the United States while pursuing his studies in two California universities. After returning to the Philippines in 1959, he was appointed president of the Philippine College of Commerce (predecessor of PUP) in 1962, serving until the declaration of martial law in 1972.
During the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, Prudente was detained and imprisoned three times for his activism. After the People Power Revolution, he was among the first political detainees to be released from prison. Prudente survived two assassination attempts (in 1987 and 1988) during his tenure as PUP president.