History of the Gerry Sicat Award

Dr. Sicat writes at the Philippine Star about the history of the award named after him at the UP School of Economics:

The GPS awards. Allow me a moment of immodesty and to talk about something that I am very proud of. It might be, in the scope of things, very small. But the end product has turned up very positive for the students and the School. 

I refer to the so-called “G.P.Sicat awards” for the most outstanding undergraduate papers at the School. In 1972, I was no longer in the faculty because I was actively engaged in national economic affairs. I suggested to both Drs. Amado Castro and Jose Encarnacion, Jr. that I contribute a small award to give a prize to the most outstanding paper by a graduating senior. To make it possible, I started a small fund. Through the years, the small fund grew, and, especially after 1983, royalties from my Economics text filled it further. It was able, even, by the 1990s, to sponsor at least an annual graduate scholarship too. 

From 1973 to 2014, a total of 206 student were recipients of the GPS awards among the best graduating papers. Had the original plan of a yearly prize for only one paper each been followed, there would have been only 41 prizes. 

Dean Philip Medalla apprised me, when I was working in Washington D.C. at the World Bank, that the quality of student papers had gone up, that the best students were spending their time writing on a variety of relevant development topics in economics, and that on commencement day when the award was also announced, the GPS award became among the most coveted by the top-rung graduating students.

It's quite a privilege to have been part of this institution! Here's to the golden year of UPSE!