The City of Passi in Iloilo honored Dr. Helmar E. Aguilar, President Emeritus of the Aklan State University as one of its ten (10) outstanding elderly citizens in a fitting ceremony held last October 7, 2005, in celebration of the Senior Citizens’ Week.

Aguilar was recognized for his pioneering efforts in the conversion of the then Aklan Agricultural College (AAC) to Aklan State College of Agriculture (ASCA) in 1992, and finally to be Aklan State University (ASU) in 2001, where he served in both as its first president. He was the founder of the regional graduate studies consortium and was also instrumental in making the then ASCA as a regional agricultural college in Western Visayas.

His retirement from public service did not end his love for education, as he took the initiative to establish a public tertiary institution, the Passi City College, in his hometown.