Giving up the fight against corruption is giving up on our country’s future.

This was the gist of Human Settlements Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling’s keynote speech at the 117th Foundation Day of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) last Friday.

Aliling stressed that there should be zero tolerance for corruption, and that UP plays a crucial role in instilling values in the “Iskolar ng Bayan” (Scholars of the Nation), as UP students are called.

“As I always say — corruption must be fought. And this fight must never be abandoned because giving up the fight is giving up on our country,” he said.

Then he said, “I want to speak for a moment not as the secretary of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development but as a Filipino who believes deeply in what this university represents. This country needs you. Not just the diplomas you confer but the values you instill. Not just the research you produce but the conscience you cultivate.”

Aliling also highlighted the close partnership between the DHSUD and UP under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s flagship Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) program.

The collaboration is a key step toward advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), aligning with this year’s UPLB theme: “Rooted in Honor, Growing in Sustainability: UPLB Advancing the SDGs for Excellence in the Service of the Nation.”

Aliling noted how the 4PH program provides safe, decent, and affordable housing for underprivileged communities while promoting a sustainable, dignified life.

The DHSUD chief also pointed to the On-Campus Rental Housing Projects at UPLB as a concrete example of the partnership in action. The project aims to meet the housing needs of students, university personnel, and community members.

“Housing is not just bricks and mortar. It is the infrastructure of human dignity. And human dignity is the foundation upon which every SDG, every vision of a better Philippines must rest. UPLB has spent 117 years building that foundation — in the minds of its graduates, in the fields of its research, in the communities it has served. DHSUD is proud to be your partner in continuing that work,” Aliling said.

Aliling and UP president Angelo Jimenez then led the groundbreaking ceremony for the new rental housing project in Bay, Laguna — ending a 45-year wait for a UPLB housing initiative. The DHSUD and UP have also signed a similar agreement for a rental housing project on the UP Diliman campus.

In closing, Aliling reminded the students, “You are not just the future. You are the conscience of the present. Hold on to your roots. They were planted in honor. Let them grow toward sustainability.”

Also in attendance were DHSUD Senior Undersecretary Eduardo Robles Jr., UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho Jr. and other key officials of the DHSUD and UP.