Intimidating at first glance yet friendly in nature, 57-year old Br. Edmundo “Dodo” Fernandez FSC gives off a sense of authority when you see him wearing his white polo shirt; but his interests and roots in the field of Art and Education formed his visionary steps as the new president of Benilde.
Green since birth
Born on February 11, 1964, Br. Dodo has been a true Lasallian since childhood. From elementary at De La Salle University-Manila (1971-1977) to high school at La Salle Green Hills (LSGH), the strokes of his Lasallian identity have been fully formed by the strict yet friendly Brothers surrounding him.
Inspired by this, he followed their footsteps by entering the Brothers’ Congregation in 1989. His first assignment was in De La Salle-Lipa (1993 to 1996), followed by being a Campus Minister (1996 to 1998) and Assistant Principal (1998 to 2001) at LSGH.
In the international arena, he shifted from the focus of education towards the line of management. In 2011, Br. Dodo became the Superior Brother Visitor of Lasallian East Asia District (LEAD) based in Hong Kong as he served as the first Filipino Provincial to the new province in Asia encompassing Japan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and his homeland, Philippines.
After eight years of service, the unforeseeable weather changed its path back to where he started—education.
Appointed by former 2016 Department of Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro FSC, he stepped down last September 1, 2019 as the Brother Visitor in East Asia and moved in as the successor of former Benilde President Br. Dennis “Broden” Magbanua FSC.
Despite the nervousness from working with Brothers of the Congregation, his optimism radiates with the excitement of setting foot in an academic institution once again.
Back to his first love
“You see, I was absent from schoolwork for a long time. I was a bit nervous. [...] I love Benilde. My first goal is to understand and to get to know the key people in school,” he shared.
Like the College he is spearheading, Br. Dodo is diverse with his ambivert personality. His vibe can change from a serious boss to a gentle shepherd. He knows when to be a leader and to be a friend. He even started the exclusive interview with The Benildean asking questions and jokingly telling the student-journalists to be less formal.
Being raised by parents who were educators, together with his eight other siblings, his inclination to teaching and skills in socializing has depicted what he has to offer to the Benildean community.
Br. Dodo had “little patience for bad work” as he strives for excellence. Embedded with the Benildean identity, he wants to continue the tapestries of openness, improved programs, and maintain the employability legacy of DLS-CSB in the real world setting by being an inclusive school imbued with great mentors “who practice their craft” outside of the industry.
“My main goal is to continue to strengthen Benilde’s standing in the country as a very forward-looking educational institution,” he added.
Nonetheless, his minimalist style of office—with a rectangular table and a stool chair in the middle—reflects his humble personality as it also gives an aesthetic touch of having to enjoy the rest of Taft’s view during work.
The other side of the coin
Little than what most know, Br. Dodo is a painter. Breaking the Lasallian streak, he pursued his college degree at the University of the Philippines (UP) studying Fine Arts major in Painting in 1992. With his hobbies of making realistic sketches and car scale models, he also loves joining marathons and reading historical and biographical books.
Describing Benilde as vibrant, creative, and youthful, Br. Dodo’s drawness to the “beyond traditional approach” inspired him to focus on his advocacy of cementing Benilde’s identity as a school of creativity and inclusivity, as if he envisions every color and stroke in a painting that he will create and showcase.
“All I want is to continue the momentum of the school [in terms of] developing new programs; strengthening old ones; continuing being an inclusive school; and being [a] school that is progressive and thinking,” he mentioned.
With plans of building an inclusive “K-12 Deaf School” for A.Y. 2021-2022, to be located near Hotel Benilde, Br. Dodo yearns for in setting new milestones for the Deaf program.
Nonetheless, Br. Dodo stated that he is still immersing for the first fraction of his term.
“It takes a lot of time to understand, but once we get to understand where we are, it is easier for us to move forward.”
As he starts his work as the new Brother President, Br. Dodo wants the community to work together alongside him.
“I look forward to engaging everyone and to accompany you as I ask that you also accompany me in my work as well. It is an exciting time to be a member of the Benildean community,” he concluded; envisioning the masterpiece that awaits stroke by stroke through his platforms.
This article is also published in The Benildean Volume 6 Issue No. 2: Update.
