JOSE WENDELL Capili, a UST journalism alumnus and former Varsitarian assistant editor, was named vice president for public affairs of the University of the Philippines (UP) System on Feb. 10.
Capili, a writer and professor at the UP Diliman Department of English and Comparative Literature, replaced UP professor and former UP College of Mass Communication dean Elena Pernia, who had been UP’s VP for Public Affairs since 2019.
Capili’s main task will be to develop and maintain UP’s relations with the government, alumni, media, and the private sector. He is also tasked with conducting regular reviews of UP’s policies on public service programs.
He will serve under lawyer Angelo Jimenez, the new president of the UP system.
The UP Board of Regents confirmed Capili’s appointment on Feb. 24.
Capili finished his primary and secondary studies at UST. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University in 1988.
Capili served as assistant editor of the Witness (religion) section of the Varsitarian from 1986 to 1987. He also served as editor of The Flame, the official student publication of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, and public relations officer of the UST Faculty Arts and Letters Student Council.
Capili was the founding president of the UST Journalism Society.
In 1993, Capili earned his master’s degree in comparative literature from UP. He also obtained a comparative literature and culture diploma from the University of Tokyo.
Capili holds a master of philosophy degree in social anthropology from the University of Cambridge.
He finished his doctoral studies at the Australian National University in 2007.
Capili was UP’s assistant vice president for public affairs from 2009 until his latest appointment.
He was one of the seven achievement awardees of the DOST National Research Council of the Philippines in 2020.
He has won several literary awards, including the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards and the National Book Awards for Literature. Joanne Christine P. Ramos
