The University of San Carlos, represented by Fr. President Francisco Antonio T. Estepa, SVD, and Carolinian alumni Joseto Joet Marquez Reoma, Lillian Cui Garcia, and Atty. Anastacio Muntuerto Jr., signed a Memorandum of Agreement establishing the Fr. Wilhelm Flieger Scholarship on March 1 and 5, 2025, respectively, at the USC Downtown Campus.

According to Mrs. Garcia, they were inspired by the greatness and kindness of Fr. Flieger, the founder of the Office of Population Studies Foundation, Inc. (OPSFI) and one of the pioneering demographers in the country, who also established the USC Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and History (DASH).

Fr. Flieger was a world-class demographer who mentored many students, including Atty. Muntuerto and Mr. Reoma, as well as his faculty, such as Mrs. Garcia, helping them become successful professionals in their chosen fields.

Thus, to pay tribute to Fr. Flieger’s brilliance, the benefactors decided to preserve his legacy by establishing a scholarship program in his honor, supporting deserving students in the Department he founded.

The scholarship will be offered through the USC Office of Alumni Affairs, Scholarships, and Job Placement (OAASJP) to academically high-performing students in financial need enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology program. In addition to maintaining good academic standing, recipients must also be involved in co-curricular and/or extracurricular activities and participate in community service or civic extension programs.

When asked why they chose to come back and establish the grant, Mrs. Garcia answered, “Because we have a sense of gratitude for people like Fr. Flieger who have helped us arrive at where we are now.”

Through the scholarship, Mrs. Garcia, Atty. Mutuerto, and Mr. Reoma also want to give the next generation of Carolinians a chance to go where they have been—or perhaps even further.