 In recognition of his exceptional management ability, he was elected as the president of De La Salle University by the Board of Trustees in 1979 and served until 1991.After his term as university president, he was designated as president of Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation, and in 1994 he was elected to his second term as president of De La Salle University-Manila where he served until 1998.He was appointed as the Secretary of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports during the term of President Joseph Ejercito Estrada on July 1998 and served until January 2001.