Attorney Augusto W. Go, the man behind the University of Cebu (UC), the largest private university in the Philippines, with a student population exceeding 60,000 across its five major campuses, does not see his institution as a corporate hierarchy.
“Money becomes secondary to everything when you are dealing with lives.”
— Augusto “Gus” W. Go, University of Cebu (UC) Founder
Where others see enrollment figures and lecture halls, Attorney Augusto “Gus” W. Go sees something far more personal: a family.
For decades, leadership has often been associated with discipline, authority, and control. Yet in an exclusive interview with CDN Digital, Go revealed that his approach has always been rooted in compassion.
“I do not think I’m a firm, disciplined educator or father,” Go said. “But I’m very compassionate, that’s true. Because by nature, that’s the way I am.”
It is this compassion that has shaped not only the culture of the University of Cebu but also Go’s relationship with the tens of thousands of young people who pass through its gates.
The legacy of a proud father
To understand Go’s approach to empowering young people, one must first look at how he raised his own daughter, Candice Gotianuy.
For him, fatherhood was never about imposing a path. It was about creating opportunities, sharing a purpose, and allowing the next generation to grow into responsibility.
Over the years, he gradually introduced his daughter to the work that had become his life’s mission. Today, equipped with a master’s degree from Harvard University, she plays a key role in helping shape the future of the University of Cebu.
“With that, I think she is equipped to run the school,” Go said proudly.
Yet the same instinct that guided him as a father extends well beyond his own household. It reaches the thousands of students who rely on education as their pathway toward a better future.
A father figure to thousands
Go candidly admits that when he first entered the education sector, financial sustainability was naturally part of the equation.
“But when you start running a school and you are dealing with lives, money becomes secondary to everything,” he said.
That philosophy became particularly evident earlier this year, when families across the country were grappling with rising living costs and economic uncertainty.
The University of Cebu had previously filed a petition for a tuition increase for School Year 2026–2027. But in April, Go withdrew the proposal and announced that tuition fees would remain unchanged across all UC campuses.
For many educational institutions, raising tuition can be a necessary response to increasing operational costs. For Go, however, the decision required looking beyond the numbers.
He has long described education as “life’s greatest equalizer,” believing that access to learning should not become another casualty of financial hardship. By maintaining current tuition rates, he hoped to ease the burden on families already navigating inflation and rising household expenses.
“Why not give them a chance? Anyway, they will pay back. Not only to me, but to society, and to the whole country,” he remarked.
For Go, the tuition freeze was more than an administrative decision. It was an extension of the same philosophy that has guided him for decades: when people’s futures are at stake, compassion must come before profit.
Beyond tuition policies, the university’s scholarship programs have opened opportunities for students who might otherwise be unable to continue their studies.
Beyond the classroom
Watching graduates build careers, support their families, and create opportunities for others remains one of the most rewarding parts of his work.
Go’s concern for young people extends beyond education.
In recent years, he has become increasingly focused on food security and livelihood opportunities for families, particularly those with limited resources.
Among the initiatives he has championed are projects that encourage students and communities to become more self-reliant through small-scale food production. These include efforts to distribute mango seedlings and support backyard-based livelihood programs that can help families generate additional income.
To some, these projects may seem unrelated to education. To Go, they are part of the same mission.
“The most important thing is first we must feed our people,” he said.
One initiative seeks to address the shortage of locally sourced mangoes by distributing seedlings to students, faculty members, and community leaders. Another explores the use of compact incubators developed by UC engineering students to help families raise native chickens and create additional livelihood opportunities.
At their core, these programs reflect a belief that empowering people begins with giving them the tools to build stable and sustainable lives.
A vision that starts with people
Go believes lasting change begins not in boardrooms or political speeches but in communities that are empowered to improve their own circumstances.
Whether through education, scholarships, livelihood programs, or community initiatives, his focus has remained remarkably consistent: creating opportunities for people to move forward.
As Father’s Day approaches, Go’s definition of success remains strikingly simple.
It is found in a daughter who now helps carry forward the mission he started. It is found in generations of students who have used education to change the course of their lives. And it is found in the belief that leadership, at its best, is an act of stewardship.
For the man who founded the University of Cebu, those achievements matter far more than titles, buildings, or numbers. They are the legacy of a father whose family extends far beyond his own home.
This article is part of Para Kang Papa, a special CDN Digital Brandroom series celebrating the fathers, mentors, leaders, and father figures whose values continue to shape lives, families, and communities across Cebu.
Para Kang Papa. Para sa mga tatay. Para sa mga tawo nga nahimong amahan, mentor, ug inspirasyon sa atong kinabuhi.
